


buy a house, build a family (and other things to do in summer)

by petitseok



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Caregiver Minghao, Caregiver Wonwoo, Little Mingyu, M/M, Non-Sexual Age Play, Polyamory, anyway im super open for requests!!!, kind of ambiguous relationships because everyones too in love to put a label on anything, little junhui, petitseok write normal length chapters challenge, the three Ps: pacifiers plushies and pull-ups
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:22:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 33,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24381241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petitseok/pseuds/petitseok
Summary: this is what minghao’s future looks like: a sunny day in july that sticks to his skin as he lays on a picnic blanket in front of his little yellow house, junhui tucked under his arm, fast asleep against his shoulder. he can hear someone talking beside him, and he recognizes the soft, lulling tone as wonwoo’s. he's running his long fingers through minghao's hair. mingyu’s legs are tangled with his, and the only thing he has to worry about is the sunburn he’s going to have later.
Relationships: Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu/Wen Jun Hui | Jun/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Comments: 129
Kudos: 197





	1. little yellow house (prologue)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is what i do when i have too much time on my hands and not enough schoolwork to do,,,, in theory i'll be able to update this more often by writing shorter chapters

for the longest time, minghao thought that buying a house would finally solve his problems.

a lot of his friends found it difficult to understand, shooting him funny looks every time he worried about the apartment he shared with junhui or the cute house he saw online being bought. chan used to call him crazy; why would an unmarried twenty-something-year-old man with a boyfriend living in the city want to become a homeowner, of all things? 

sure, his job paid him enough to live comfortably, even with junhui only working part time, but their apartment was confining and the downstairs neighbors were constantly complaining about junhui’s thundering footsteps. they needed more space. even if he didn’t like to admit it, junhui needed room to run around, and minghao couldn’t always take him to the park and watch him. 

now, reclining on the porch of his cute little two-story house with junhui sitting at his feet, minghao knows he was right about moving. he feels like he can breathe out here, not cramped in a cheap, high-rise studio apartment. 

it feels better with new housemates, too. minghao and junhui have been close friends with wonwoo and mingyu for years, now, helping each other at every opportunity. with a larger place to live and more people to live in it, it doesn’t feel lonely.

rather, minghao feels as if he’s found a family. wonwoo sings to himself in the kitchen as he fumbles through cooking dinner, voice filtering out the open window. junhui plays happily with his blocks and mingyu kicks his soccer ball into a net in the yard. it feels like home.

he’s never thought about it extensively. settling down, that is. his relationships have always been  _ unconventional,  _ but he still imagined himself married to junhui with a family of their own. and it’s a nice thought. in that scenario, he’s happy. 

but he’s also happy when mingyu waves at him from the grass, ball tucked under his arm as he shouts, “baba, baba! watch this!” and he’s more than content watching the taller stick his tongue out in concentration as he kicks the soccer ball into the goal, jumping up and down and asking if he saw.

and then wonwoo calls them in for dinner, grinning at his little family like they’re his world, picking up junhui and cooing when the little whines into his neck. then minghao takes mingyu’s hand and drags him to the table, fixing a plate for him and giggling when he gets food all over his t-shirt. and he’s so,  _ so _ happy.

for the longest time, minghao was sure that moving out of his apartment would finally complete his vision of being at home, and in many ways, he was right. in other ways, though, it isn’t the friendly yellow exterior or the staircase lined with picture frames that make it home.

instead, it’s his family that makes it home. and not just junhui. junhui has always been the largest piece in minghao’s puzzle. it’s mingyu, tall and strong and so,  _ so _ sweet; and it’s wonwoo, also tall, but calm, placating, and understanding.  _ his _ boys. 

this is what minghao’s future looks like: a sunny day in july that sticks to his skin as he lays on a picnic blanket in front of his little yellow house, junhui tucked under his arm, fast asleep against his shoulder. he can hear someone talking beside him, and he recognizes the soft, lulling tone as wonwoo’s. he's running his long fingers through minghao's hair. mingyu’s legs are tangled with his, and the only thing he has to worry about is the sunburn he’s going to have later.


	2. happy stripe of sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in light of Recent Events i'm giving my update tonight to have some good stuff circulating in the morning. i will come back to proofread, but i hit my word goal and feel really satisfied with it (even though the end kinda sucks)
> 
> i should also mention this is set in the states, just because it is.
> 
> junhui: toddler (2/3); petal  
> mingyu: ~5; pup, sprout  
> wonwoo (daddy), minghao (baba)

the drink in wonwoo's cup is more milk than it is actual tea, ice clinking around as he takes another sip of his sweet abomination. he's wearing his glasses again, too early in the morning for him to consider putting in his contacts yet, and the sun throws a happy, golden stripe across his face.

they're lingering in the kitchen, minghao with his legs crossed underneath him as he sits on the counter, wonwoo leaning on the edge beside him. he's holding the mug junhui gave him for christmas with a pretty calico cat painted on the side, tail handle wrapped around his hand as he takes a slow sip of his hot tea void of milk.

the littles are still asleep. minghao will have to wake them soon. wonwoo mutters something quiet about the work he has to do on monday, but it's saturday, so he quickly swallows it with his tea.

wonwoo is too busy craning his neck to look out the kitchen window to pay mind to minghao watching him, trying to commit the details of his face to memory like he has countless times before.

the thin lines of his mouth. the dip in his brow and the sparkle of amusement in his eyes. soft skin, fluffy hair, pretty pretty _pretty._

"do you think the neighbors can see our backyard?" he wonders quietly, and the illusion shatters. "i'd rather not talk to them and i don’t need them questioning the boys or anything." wonwoo turns to him, expression of concern morphing into one of playfulness when he looks at minghao.

and minghao can't help but smile. he thinks it's only natural when sitting next to wonwoo. "you can always pretend you don't speak english," he reminds him with a chuckle.

"yeah, but that wouldn't work if we both talked to them, would it? i’m hardly fluent and we have different second languages.”

"it would work. i'll just scare them away, wonu. we won't have to worry about questions." minghao can lay on an intimidating chinese accent. that's what his old roommate used to say, anyway.

sometimes he sings to junhui in mandarin. he said it was comforting to hear when he was little, so it became a thing between them. even out of his headspace, junhui can't help the crooning love songs he likes to sings.

one time, junhui yelled at him in the heavy accent his mother gave him, and it sounded like cantonese more than anything else. it was intimidating, even to minghao.

between the two of them, they are sure to defend their territory.

then, looking out into the backyard lined with trees, a thought occurs to him: "i don't think they can see our backyard anyway."

"nothing to see here," wonwoo hums. minghao giggles.

the shifting of floorboards overhead interrupts them, a heavy set of feet shuffling down the stairs. for a moment, minghao worries that junhui is crawling down the steps unsteadily trying to get to them, but a mop of black hair emerges from the corner instead of the usual brown.

it's mingyu.

the oldest little blinks slowly, evidently still fighting off sleep. it seems to be a losing battle since he doesn't even greet them, shuffling across the room and shyly butting his head against wonwoo’s shoulder.

wonwoo looks over mingyu’s head to smile at minghao, reaching up and petting the back of their little’s head. “good morning, my little sprout,” he greets him softly.

in response, mingyu whines and utters a barely audible, “hi, daddy,” before hugging wonwoo in earnest.

“aw, our pup is tired, isn’t he?” he chuckles, wrapping his arms around him to rub his back. “poor little thing.”

when he only squirms, trying to bury himself in wonwoo, minghao asks him gently, “did you leave junnie upstairs?”

he had been planning to wake them soon. he’ll go wake the youngest so that he doesn’t cry when he sees that he’s alone. and it’s not mingyu’s fault, of course, but someone just needs to be with junhui.

“asleep,” mingyu says, and minghao pats him, setting his mug aside and slipping off the counter.

the two bedrooms upstairs had been split so that mingyu and junhui shared one room while wonwoo and minghao shared the others.

it hadn’t intentionally been divided that way, but it worked just the same. in the end, who slept in which bed was not a disputed issue.

the previous night, however, minghao had put the littles to sleep in their own room and bed and slept with wonwoo. naturally, he expected to find junhui where he left him, only missing his big brother by his side.

but the bed was empty. the sheets had been tossed back and junhui was nowhere to be found in his room.

minghao slipped into his room, thinking that junhui had gone there to look for him, but his search turned up nothing. it only left one other place for him to have slept during the night.

the last room at the end of the hallway had been turned into a playroom when the four of them moved in. 

it was a dream come true for junhui because he never had enough room to spread his things out at their old apartment. having a space just for himself made him happy.

it held most of their toys and all of their comfortable clothes along with the supplies that they needed. a week after becoming fully settled, mingyu and junhui ransacked every blanket and pillow in the house to create a fort in the empty corner.

that is where minghao finds junhui.

true to mingyu's word, junhui is swaddled in a mound of blankets fast asleep, fists curled into the sheets and head lolled against his pillow. a baby pink pacifier clipped to his shirt is lodged between his lips, almost falling out, and his hair is a bird's nest.

he can see it now: mingyu unable to sleep but unwilling to disturb his caregivers, instead rolling out of bed to go to the playroom. he must have woken junhui, and they both came to the fort and giggled to their heart's content until they fell asleep.

the thought is at least heartwarming, even if the two stayed up later than they needed to. it won't stop them from being just as excitable as usual but perhaps mingyu can sleep with one of them tonight.

minghao crawls into the tent, sitting beside junhui to brush his dark brown hair back. the touch causes him to stir in his sleep, rolling over a little to bury his face into minghao's thigh.

minghao's heart melts on the spot, and it's only made worse when the little continues to wiggle himself closer to his affectionate petting. it reminds him of a kitten looking for head pats.

after a few minutes, junhui blinks up at him with big, innocent eyes still hazy with sleep. minghao runs his thumb over his cheek, and he smiles despite his paci.

"good morning, petal," he whispers, trying not to startle him.

sometimes their mornings can be hectic. there's chaos or crying or yelling as littles are soothed and work is done and breakfast is made. mingyu isn't exactly a calm in any headspace, and junhui doesn't like the suddenness of being left alone or things happening around him.

but it's saturday. saturday is for all of them. minghao and wonwoo can wake up before dawn and drink tea together without worrying about making breakfast before one of them leaves for work. mingyu and junhui don't have to worry about pulling out of headspace and can spend the whole day with their caregivers.

they can wake slowly. minghao can appreciate the way junhui sleepily kicks away some his blankets, grabbing onto the caregiver's leg to pull himself up. trying get closer to him.

he finally helps him, hoisting his little into his lap with a light _whoosh_ sound effect that makes him giggle. junhui latches onto his front, legs wrapping around his waist.

as he nuzzles against minghao's shoulder, junhui's pacifier falls and he pouts softly, "baba, wan' min."

"you miss mingyu, don't you, petal," he murmurs, "he just went downstairs, baba's got you now."

junhui nods, scratching minghao's back in an attempt to get a better grip on him. the caregiver takes it as his cue to pick him up, settling him on his hip and taking him downstairs. even if junhui has to walk down the steps himself, he doesn't let go of minghao the entire way.

the others are still waiting in the kitchen, but this time mingyu is sitting at the table inhaling a piece of toast and wonwoo is at the stove, already cooking him a serving of eggs.

mingyu's eyes are brighter and when he sees his baby brother and baba, he jumps in his seat, waving at them and shouting with his mouth full, "junnie! come sit with me! baba too!"

"hey, don't talk with your mouth full," wonwoo scolds lightly.

"sorry, daddy!"

junhui babbles something and wriggles right out of minghao's arms, throwing himself towards the kitchen table and sitting beside mingyu. he moved as close as he could, leaning into his side and opening his mouth to ask for food.

mingyu hands a piece of his toast to him and he bites into the bread with a smile.

"petal, don't eat his breakfast, baba will make something for you." wonwoo sets a plate of eggs in front of mingyu.

narrowing his eyes at the other caregiver, minghao says quietly, "will i?"

wonwoo glares back playfully, "you will. c'mon, it's literally not that hard."

minghao knows. he finds wonwoo's faux annoyance humorous and that's why he isn't afraid to tease him.

he does end up pouring a bowl of dry cereal for junhui, listening to the sizzle of more eggs in wonwoo's pan, junhui's content babble beside mingyu, and the chirping of birds outside.

the happy stripe of sun no longer illuminates wonwoo's face but minghao's hands as he adds blueberries to the bowl, and joy bubbles inside him once junhui is happily eating. he prepares sippy cups of milk for both of his boys just as wonwoo finishes setting out plates of food.

he feels lighter when he sits down at the table with his calico cat mug of cold tea, taking a slow sip as his family chatters and eats around him.


	3. lucky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> junhui: toddler (2/3); petal  
> mingyu: ~5; pup, sprout  
> wonwoo (daddy), minghao (baba)
> 
> here’s some more!! the next ones gonna be sweeter w gyuhao ^-^

at first, getting junhui to sit outside in the june heat had been a struggle, but with a sippy cup of cool water and a lot of coaxing from his baba, the caregivers managed to sit him on a blanket in the grass with his mega bloks.

wonwoo sits with him, easily passing on mingyu’s highly energetic game of hide and seek tag and letting minghao be the one to wrestle him to the ground when he refuses to be the tagger.

minghao— the shortest and easily the stealthiest of the four of them— has no problem pulling himself up into the low branches of a tree while mingyu wanders around lost beneath him.

it’s definitely amusing to wonwoo, the oldest caregiver only half paying attention to the tower junhui has him building. apparently minghao’s barely contained snickers aren’t enough to alert mingyu of his presence directly above his head.

“i can’t find him!” he whines, pouting at his daddy sitting on the blanket and watching it all unfold. “you have to give me a hint.”

“i don’t know, sprout, hints aren’t free.”

“nooo, please give me one, daddy! baba’s too good at this!”

wonwoo waves him over with a smile and the little happily complies, sitting beside him and leaning in to hear his hint.

cupping his hand, he whispers in his ear, “you have to give me a kiss before i tell you.”

mingyu pulls away, absolutely scandalized that he would ask for something like that. he immediately tries to beg for a hint instead, but his efforts are ignored as wonwoo taps his cheek.

after mingyu presses a kiss to his cheek, wonwoo reveals that minghao is hiding in the trees and nothing more. it's a very helpful tip, so it's not wonwoo's fault when the little interprets it the wrong way.

he spends the next few minutes fruitlessly looking being each of the trees lining their backyard. from where he's sitting, wonwoo can see minghao smiling, and they make eye contact briefly, the older's heart fluttering until he looks away again.

"i wanna kiss daddy, too," junhui whines suddenly, crawling closer to wonwoo and bracing himself on his leg to place a kiss on wonwoo's cheek just like mingyu had.

distracted, wonwoo turns to the giggling little and pulls him into his lap. junhui squeals as his caregiver nuzzles into his neck. "daddy, that tickles!"

"it tickles?" he teases him, tickling his sides just to hear him giggle again. it's such a pretty sound, and it makes wonwoo happy knowing that such a precious boy is happy because of him. "my precious little petal."

he stops once junhui whines at him and kisses the top of his head. the two watch mingyu step under the tree minghao is in, clueless.

junhui points, "baba!"

mingyu whirls, "where?" he looks into the branches, but minghao has already slipped from his perch, landing behind his little.

"right here!" mingyu jumps when minghao suddenly hugs his waist, but his shock eventually morphs into glee.

"i found you! i found you, baba! now you have to run because i have to tag you!"

minghao seems to have forgotten that part of the game, but instead of running further into the trees or into the open grass space, he heads straight for the blanket, mingyu hot on his tail.

"hide me, hide me," he giggles, grabbing wonwoo's shoulders and hiding behind his back.

once he catches up to them, mingyu collides into wonwoo and junhui. wonwoo almost topples over with the force of it, but between minghao and junhui, he's kept upright.

mingyu reaches around him while junhui simultaneously tries to shove the taller little off of him, and it's chaos. but they're laughing, and wonwoo wouldn't want it any other way.

minghao’s presence leaves him as he bolts for the grass, bringing mingyu with him. 

and while minghao is light on his feet, his little has a physical advantage of longer legs, and it isn’t long before the two are wrestling on the grass again.

“baba’s it! baba’s it!” mingyu cries, trying to get away from his caregiver’s strangling hugs. “save yourself, junnie!”

just having heard his name, junhui giggles. wonwoo wraps his arms protectively around him, cradling the toddler to his chest. “i’ll protect him!”

“baba’s it, baba’s it!” junhui echoes, wriggling around. “puppy!”

breaking away from minghao, mingyu tumbles towards the blanket. junhui latches into him, and mingyu pulls him to his feet, the two running away from minghao together,

too caught up in the fun of junhui unsteadily bounding ahead of mingyu on his feet, wonwoo doesn’t notice the approaching figure behind. 

“boo!” minghao jumps onto wonwoo’s back, the older yelping. he giggles into his ear, “wonwon got caught!” 

“now daddy’s it!” 

mingyu’s standing at the back door, hugging junhui from behind to keep him a safe distance away from their baba. 

unfortunately, the last thing wonwoo wants to participate in is a game of tag, and minghao trying to bend his back in half isn’t helping. 

to alleviate the strain, he rolls onto the blanket, and if he ignores the block that collided with his head and the sun in his eyes, then minghao sitting on his chest isn’t so bad.

the skinny boy leans forward, light forming a halo around his head as he blocks the sun from wonwoo’s eyes. he looks really pretty like this, wonwoo thinks: bathed in warmth, smiling, long, dark hair falling in the space between them. 

he’s kissed mingyu like this before. does minghao have to be any different?

apparently.

“uh oh, boys,” he taunts, “i’ve got daddy. are you going to come save him?”

“baba’s mean!” mingyu cries just as junhui mewls.

“ah, petal, please save me,” wonwoo calls, intentionally keeping his voice flat so he doesn’t actually frighten junhui. 

mingyu recognizes the humorous tone and giggles, but junhui still picks up distress. when wonwoo turns his head, he sees junhui waddling closer, bottom lip jutting out in a pout. wonwoo reaches for him and he runs forward.

“daddy!” he wails. he falls onto wonwoo, too, burying his face into his chest.

minghao quickly slips off of him, and the caregivers both pull junuhi into a hug. 

“don’t worry, daddy’s okay. you’re okay, petal,” minghao soothes. the effect is instantaneous as junhui nods and wipes away his tears.

wonwoo has always admired the bond between junhui and minghao. the two have been together for so long that know how to comfort each other in the most effective ways. wonwoo wants to be that comfort for junhui, too.

suddenly, mingyu sits by him, looking helplessly at his distressed headspace brother. “is petal sad?” he says quietly. mingyu’s warm palm comes to rest on wonwoo’s arm. 

before wonwoo can say anything, though, junhui whines and reaches out for him, “wan’ daddy. ‘s hot. wan’ paci.”

after locking eyes with minghao, the younger caregiver evidently worried about his baby being upset, wonwoo knows he can’t deny junhui anything. even if it disrupts their time outside, he can’t stand seeing minghao feel guilty. 

mingyu trails after wonwoo as he carries junhui inside, minghao quickly scooping up the blanket and blocks before following. the youngest little sniffles into his neck, biting his thumb and trying not suck on it since his baba says that’s bad. 

“pup, go find the pacifier,” wonwoo tells mingyu, settling junhui onto the couch. when he tries to stand up, junhui finds a different part of him to latch onto, so he doesn’t think he should leave him.

the little leaves, returning after a few seconds with the pink soother and yellow clip. he tries attaching it to junhui’s shirt, but when it proves too difficult, he looks to wonwoo for guidance.

wonwoo smiles, taking the paci and letting junhui take it into his mouth, clipping it without problem to the pocket on his t-shirt. 

before he can protest against it or begin comforting junhui again, wonwoo is tugged down onto the couch. junhui curls around his arm, making himself smaller, so wonwoo brushes back his hair.

“c-can i give petal a hug?” mingyu asks quietly, hulking figure crouched demurely in front of the couch.

“would you like mingyu to hug you?” wonwoo carries his message.

the little shakes his head, the movement so small he barely notices it. “snuggles,” he murmurs, burrowing closer to wonwoo, a common trend today.

minghao joins them in the living room. it doesn’t take long for him to read the room, notice mingyu sitting dejected at wonwoo’s feet.

“baba, i didn’t want to scare junnie…” mingyu whispers, tugging on the caregiver’s pant leg. “i didn't mean to make him sad.”

“you didn’t do anything, baby,” minghao assures. “we were just playing and he didn’t know. you’re not in trouble. okay?”

mingyu nods and takes minghao’s hand. “he’s gonna be okay?”

“of course he will. let’s give them some space, okay?” he tugs on the little’s hand, and he gets up to follow him. “come on, sprout,” wonwoo hears him say. “let’s find something nice to do for them…”

the two leave wonwoo to cradle junhui as the toddler drifts in and out of sleep, exhausted from being outside for a while and getting worked up by his caregivers. 

wonwoo doesn’t stop him. he combs his fingers through his hair, giving junhui something to lay against for comfort. 

he’s adored him for so long. while he has always loved his sprout, he also loves his little petal.

mingyu is practically invincible like every other five-year-old when he’s in headspace. that’s why wonwoo calls him his little sprout; he’s strong, persistent. he likes running around and playing sports and talking and drawing and  _ playing— _

toddlers like to do that, too, but with junhui, those things happen on his own terms. he only likes playing sports and running if someone does it with him, and he falls easily and doesn’t understand some things, making him sensitive in comparison to mingyu. his fragile petal.

he’s always had minghao, and wonwoo thinks that’s why he feels incredibly lucky to be a part of junhui’s— especially little junhui’s— life. 

he loves taking care of him as much as he does taking care of mingyu, even if it’s more work and more tears. he thinks junhui’s happiness is worth it. he thinks his smile and sparkly eyes and heavenly giggle are worth it. his pretty, pretty petal.

in an hour or so, his happy little boy will be back. minghao and mingyu will return, likely having gone to pick up some treats from the nearest convenience store, and they’ll sit around like a family and enjoy each other’s company. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (pst— if any carats need some more sweet stuff, here’s seokmin’s latest [cover](https://mobile.twitter.com/pledis_17/status/1266977710095478785) on his guitar. it’s amazing and adorable. stay safe, take care of yourselves.)


	4. pretty pink flower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how to keep track of four ppl in one scene,,
> 
> happy belated birthday junhui!!! carats' baby
> 
> junhui: toddler (2/3); petal  
> mingyu: ~5; pup, sprout  
> wonwoo (daddy), minghao (baba)

in the end, there is something adorably boyish about mingyu that draws minghao in like a magnet.

despite hoarding over six feet in height and a naturally strong build, mingyu still likes to wear basketball shorts and big t-shirts in the summer. his laughter is high-pitched and giggly and his smile is so warm that it melts minghao faster than the sun.

the caregiver doesn’t think mingyu will ever get rid of his charm. being adorable is just a part of mingyu. he’s good at making himself tiny even when he’s standing four inches taller than minghao, and it's endearing. 

the little grasps minghao's hand as they walk down the sidewalk to the nearest convenience store, swinging their arms back and forth. he doesn’t complain about the heat even though he’s sweating like he’s melting.

minghao would like to complain, but wonwoo isn’t around to hear it, so he keeps his mouth shut and pulls his little along so that they spend as little time in direct sunlight as possible.

he doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of walking into the corner store during summer, letting the air conditioner and fan blast cool air over him. all of them love coming here to get snacks and ice cream, sometimes sitting on the curb outside with their treats.

mingyu leans over to whisper in minghao's ear, “what are we going to get?”

the caregiver reluctantly pulls away from the fan he had been concentrating on standing in front of, looking around the store. the woman at the counter waves at them, and he smiles when mingyu waves back.

“hi, miss amber!”

with no one else but her confused coworker in the store, amber has no problem greeting mingyu back with just as much enthusiasm. “hey! is that my little pupper?”

breaking away from minghao, mingyu runs up to the checkout counter, and if he had a tail, it would be wagging as amber ruffles his hair affectionately. "aw, you really are a cutie."

amber finding out about mingyu and junhui had been an accident, but with how often the four of them came to the store, it was only a matter of time before she started to question the littles' flipping personalities.

once wonwoo sheepishly explained it to her, she said it was the cutest thing she had ever heard of and encouraged them to keep visiting, even if the boys were in littlespace. from then on, the littles have steadily been building a friendship with amber since she isn't afraid to call them cute or spoil them with candy.

minghao stops her from slipping mingyu a piece of gum when he walks up to the counter. amber smiles slyly, "what brings you two here?"

before minghao has a chance to open his mouth, mingyu starts explaining, "junnie's sad, so baba an' i are getting snacks to make him and daddy feel better."

amber smiles, "that's thoughtful of you, mingyu. why don't you go grab those chocolates jun likes? i'm sure he would appreciate it."

nodding, the little doesn't even wait for minghao to agree. mingyu takes off towards the candy aisle.

"are you sure you should be encouraging him like that?"

guiltless, amber shrugs, "you're his baba, not me. but now that he's gone, i can ask if everything's alright with jun."

minghao supposes that makes sense. "he's good, he just got a little panicky earlier. mingyu was roughhousing a bit and didn't appreciate it when wonwoo was in danger."

"scary. poor kid."

mingyu giggles distantly before he collides into minghao's back, a large milk chocolate bar set on the counter in front of him. "i found it, miss amber!" he declares, unaware that he's suffocating minghao.

after amber heaps praise onto mingyu, minghao pulls the little away so they can get the rest of the things they came here for in the first place.

mingyu chooses a large cookie for his own treat, and minghao picks out a bag of gummies to share with wonwoo. he lets mingyu pick two flavored milks, so he gets a chocolate one for himself and a strawberry one for junhui.

"why can't we get ice cream?" mingyu whines as his caregiver scans the cooler of bottled teas. wonwoo likes one of them, but he can't remember which.

"baby, it'll melt and be messy by the time we get home," he explains.

other customers have entered the store, and minghao hopes they're not attracting unnecessary attention to themselves, but mingyu remains relatively well-behaved.

"please?" he begs quietly. it's better than a tantrum, at least.

minghao is not easily susceptible to mingyu's adorable pleading act. it's wonwoo's fault for spoiling his little. "no. i'm getting you milk and a cookie already."

mingyu whines but ultimately leaves it at that. minghao— who had been carrying their items— asks him to hold them while he picks out a tea for wonwoo. 

he settles with something that looks sweet without being very fruity. wonwoo likes things like that.

when he tries to take their snacks back from mingyu, the little refuses to give up his and junhui's items. "i wanna carry these!"

"okay, okay, lead the way, then. let's go check out."

juggling two milk cartons, a cookie, and a chocolate bar, mingyu heads back to the check out counter where amber is waiting, looking at a magazine off to the side. she looks up when the two approach.

"hey, did you find everything?" she asks, looking at the snacks.

"yeah!" mingyu says. "these are for me and junnie." he spills the contents of his arms onto the counter. amber chuckles.

minghao sets the gummies and tea on the counter next, and the cashier raises an eyebrow. "for the boyfriend?" she asks.

the caregiver furrows his brow, "we're going to _share."_

"sure," she says, picking up the tea and scanning it. "i thought this was wonwoo's favorite?"

at least he guessed right. maybe he knew more about wonwoo than he realized?

amber rings them up without anymore teasing, sending mingyu off with another head rub and friendly, "see you later, kiddo. oh, and you too, 'hao."

minghao smiles, and he and mingyu head home before the milk decides to spoil or anything like that. mingyu talks about junhui the entire way and how he hopes he feels better and likes his picks for him.

he's sure that the younger little would be happy no matter what mingyu gave him as long as it was coming from his big brother.

"baba, can i have my cookie?" he requested suddenly.

minghao thinks about how big that cookie is and how eager mingyu will get having it all at once, but then he thinks about how sad his petal was and he relents, "you can have half when we get home and the other half after dinner. okay?"

"okay!"

he's glad he agreed easily. it isn't as if minghao is going to let junhui eat all that chocolate at once, either.

when they arrive home and put away the treats— except for mingyu's cookie, which he quickly breaks in half and starts to eat— minghao doesn't find wonwoo on their couch where he left him.

since they weren't gone for more than an hour, minghao assumed that junhui would sleep through it and that they would still be there once they returned.

after a hasty search of the house, though, minghao finds them in the playroom. wonwoo is just fixing a fresh pull-up onto junhui, tickling his stomach afterwards and praising for him for how well he did.

minghao knocks lightly on the door. wonwoo sits up, smile brightening further at the sight of his fellow caregiver. "hey, baby," he grins, beckoning him closer.

minghao tries to hide his blush. he sits beside wonwoo, though leaning over junhui with a smile.

"look, petal, baba's back!" wonwoo prompts gently.

junhui is delighted. "baba!" he cries, making grabby hands for his caregiver. "baba, baba!"

soon after minghao has his baby snuggled into his lap, mingyu's footsteps thunder through the house, going up the stairs and down the hall. he appears at door of the playroom a minute later holding the bag of gummies and junhui's chocolate bar.

"junnie! i brought you stuffs!" he sits down beside minghao and junhui, and wonwoo scoots closer, placing his hand on the oldest little's back. "here, i picked this jus' for you."

he gives junhui the chocolate bar. he beams at having his favorite candy in his hands, but he doesn't quite know what to do with it. minghao takes it and opens the wrapper for him, breaking of a little piece for him.

as junhui hums happily around the chocolate melting in his mouth, wonwoo examines the bag of gummies in mingyu's lap. "who are the gummies for?" he wonders.

"they're for baba!" mingyu says, holding them up.

"they're for me and daddy to _share,"_ minghao corrects gently. "i know you like those kinds."

junhui opens his mouth for another piece of chocolate and is immediately appeased by his baba. wonwoo smiles, something lighting up in his eyes. "really?"

minghao tries not to blush again, unconsciously hiding his face behind junhui's head. "of course."

"can i have some, too?" mingyu asks, never tired of eating.

"no," minghao says just as wonwoo looks ready to give in. "there just for daddies. you ate your cookie."

"you got him a cookie?"

mingyu gasps, "and choco milk! 'nd i got junnie strawberry milkies."

junhui shifts, "st'awberry milks? petal wants milk! baba, baba, pink milk?"

with his little squirming around in his lap again, it's hard for minghao to disagree with what he wants. "alright, petal, we can go get your milk."

"i want milk too!" mingyu shouts. he gets up, pulling at wonwoo's arm until the caregiver follows him into the hall.

stumbling to his feet, junhui toddles after them. he waits for minghao at the top of the stairs and clings to his baba's arm on the way down so he doesn't get hurt.

wonwoo is already pouring junhui's milk into his bottle by the time the two make it into the kitchen. mingyu is sitting with his carton on the floor with his legs spread out, taking small sips and trying to make his treat last.

junhui decides to sit with mingyu, slumping into the space in front of him until his head hits his chest. mingyu giggles and fiddles with the younger little's hair.

wonwoo murmurs something about how dirty the floor is under his breath, but he doesn't bother their littles and gives junhui his bottle. 

"pink!" he declares, holding it up and showing mingyu. it's the only color he seems to retain in headspace despite mingyu trying to teach him others. "like petal!"

"like a pretty pink flower," minghao coos, coming closer to stand beside wonwoo. the older wraps an arm around his waist to bring him closer. "you're our precious little petal."

happily drinking his milk, junhui hums and leans against mingyu's chest. the older little stirs, "what about me?"

"you're our lively sprout, baby," wonwoo assures him. "our silly little boys."

minghao's chest tightens, and he doesn't think he's ever been more in love before this moment. wonwoo's arms feel like home and his babies are content and everything is just _right_ like this.

maybe wonwoo can see it on his face. maybe minghao says something akin to _i love you._ whatever it is, though, it inspires to lean over and kiss minghao's hair, cuddling even closer afterwards.

mingyu grimaces beneath them and covers junhui's eyes. "ew, daddy's being gross!"


	5. big booboos (1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im posting this while listening to chewing gum
> 
> happy birthday wonu!! i promised myself i would update at least once before now and here it is !
> 
> beep boop (hehe) ty for your idea ! i thought about it for weeks before i snapped out of it and began this chapter. this is for u ;-; i hope it suits your expectations. since i want to update in shorter bursts i will include a nice ~second part~
> 
> mingyu: 5-6  
> junhui: toddler  
> minghao (baba), wonwoo (daddy)

sunday.

minghao's skin prickles from the sun of a humid summer day as he sits at the top of his driveway, trying to respond to chan's annoyingly formal business email despite the glare on his phone's screen.

mingyu's retreating back is soaked in sweat as he chases his soccer ball down the driveway, trying to catch it before it enters the road, resembling a puppy trying to play fetch.

wonwoo is inside, insisting that the heat isn't for him and that he'd much rather catch up on the book he's been reading. at first, mingyu had been dejected about the older leaving him to play outside by himself, but minghao quickly volunteered to watch him and keep him company.

they're all waiting for junhui to get home from his morning shift at the café. then, they'll be able to spend a few more hours together before minghao leaves for his evening classes at the studio.

he's thankful that his coworkers are willing to bend over backwards to get him the hours he wants, although he thinks it has something to do with how long he used to work full-time at the studio. it gives him a bit of seniority, especially when it comes to chan, who has only been there for the past few years as he gets through university.

whatever it is, though, the extra time allows him to be around to take care of mingyu and junhui when wonwoo is busy. the older caregiver doesn't get to work from home very often and has to go to an office during the week.

and— no matter where wonwoo is— mingyu is always ready to play.

the soccer ball rolls up to minghao, bumping against his knee. he hears mingyu's sneakers grind against the driveway just afterwards, the tall little depositing himself beside minghao to peek at his phone.

before he can see the screen, minghao turns it off. it doesn't seem to deter him, though.

"baba, when's junnie coming back?" he asks innocently, grabbing minghao's arm.

checking the time, minghao hums. he pats mingyu's leg, "he should be back any minute now." when his little pouts, minghao adds, "why don't you show me how to kick a goal while we wait?"

his face lights up. "okay! you have to watch, though. watch me!"

grabbing his soccer ball, mingyu leaps to his feet and starts explaining his method, but it leads to him playing more than actually demonstrating, kicking the ball up the driving before diverting it to the grass and into his little goal. 

then, he retrieves the ball again, glancing at minghao to make sure he is still looking. he places it a couple of yards away from the goal, trying to babble through how he does it, although he's too far away for minghao to hear much of it.

just after he sinks another goal, a car pulls into the driveway. minghao gets up upon seeing junhui, stepping out of the way is that he can park all the way.

mingyu giggles, "junnie's back!" he circles the vehicle and practically pulls junhui out despite his weak protests. "junnie, junnie, junnie!"

"what's the big celebration?" he laughs, reluctantly accepting mingyu's hug. junhui looks around as if scanning the driveway for a surprise. he locks eyes with minghao, and his grin widens a fraction more, "what am i missing?"

"he's just excited you're back," minghao explains. "aren't you, mingyu?"

"yeahhh, i just wanted to show you my soccer trick," the little insists.

"i've seen it many times, puppy. right now, junnie needs to get cleaned up because he just spent a long time working."

mingyu frowns, doesn't let go of junhui or basically let him do anything. the car door is open and junhui is clutching his keys in his hand, backpack sitting in the passenger seat. "but you just got here..."

"and i'm not leaving!"

minghao can see that mingyu is having trouble letting go, so he makes it easier on junhui, "pup, come here to baba."

and although he whines, mingyu lets go of junhui and allows him round the car and pick up his bag, locking the car afterwards. he pauses by minghao on the way inside, swooping down and kissing him sweetly.

from where he's hanging on minghao's neck, mingyu makes a disgusted 'blegh' sound that makes them laugh. "ew..."

junhui responds by kissing minghao again before leaning down and kissing mingyu's forehead. minghao's heart shakes from how domestic it all is. 

he doesn't get to kiss junhui as often as he would like. he gets to peck his cheek and forehead and nuzzle into his hair, but real kisses are not appreciated in headspace, so he has to take advantage of moments like this.

_"please,_ can i show you just once?" mingyu whimpers. he wants junnie to be proud of his goal even if he's seen it before. he's been practicing all morning!

junhui does end up staying just long enough for mingyu to sink his soccer ball into the net, watching fondly from minghao's side. he claps when he gets it right, cheering to let him know that he saw it.

mingyu giggles, scooping up his ball and sprinting across the pavement to return to his caregiver. as soon as he does, though, he trips and falls in the most unnatural way possible, tumbling to the ground.

minghao expects him to brush it off and keep going, but he doesn't get up. two seconds pass for mingyu to process that he's fallen, and then he starts to _bawl._

you'd think he broke his leg. "daddy!" he wails. he rolls onto his side and minghao sees his bloody knees. his chest tightens.

before he realizes that he has moved, minghao is crouching beside mingyu and pulling the little into sitting up, checking the rest of his body for injuries and wiping away his tears.

thankfully, his face isn't injured and none of his limbs are broken. minghao's more than grateful they don't have to make a sudden trip to the emergency room. he doesn't think that would be a positive experience for anyone involved.

but there is bleeding on mingyu's left elbow, and both of his knees have horrible scrapes that are bleeding as well. 

at first, minghao doesn't know what to do other than wipe away mingyu's tears and urge him to take deep breaths seeing as he can't stop his panicked crying. it all happened so quickly, and it must have scared him.

"daddy, daddy, i want daddy!" he cries. he coughs and the sobs subside, but his breath picks up again when his knees continue to sting and he can't see wonwoo anywhere.

minghao tries to look back at junhui, but the other is gone. for a moment, he thinks that junhui has hidden away, but minghao is proven wrong when the front door of the house opens. wonwoo stumbles out the front door, junhui standing just behind him.

the oldest caregiver sprints into the yard at the sight of mingyu, crouching beside his little and taking in his state. "what happened?"

"i— i don't know, i— he fell," minghao rushes. "his knees are scraped and his elbow—"

mingyu clumsily crawls closer to wonwoo, but he doesn't know how to grab onto him while he's all scratched up. "daddy," he cries, drawing out the word, "it hurts!"

"i know, baby, i know," wonwoo immediately soothes. he pushes back mingyu's sweaty bangs (grimacing a little as he does) and more tears spring from the little's eyes. "we need to clean up your booboos, will you let daddy pick you up?"

mingyu nods, wanting nothing more than for his daddy to hold him.

wonwoo carries mingyu inside of their house bridal style, picking the tall little up and supporting his back and knees. mingyu wraps his arms around his caregiver's neck, burying his face into his shoulder while trying to dampen his cries.

stumbling in behind them, minghao only has enough sense to close the front door before he's wiping tears out of his own eyes, feeling helpless with the sudden stress of mingyu's accident.

he turns and junhui suddenly swallows him in a crushing hug, pushing minghao's head into his chest. he smells like coffee and croissants.

at first, minghao just reciprocates the affection, letting his partner bury his face in his hair and cry, but he quickly realizes that junhui has slipped into littlespace when he mumbles out, "'aba, 'm scared."

junhui continues to cry, then, and minghao looks up. junhui's face is red and tears roll down his cheeks. he sounds as bad as mingyu does, throat clogged up and nose stuffy.

minghao begins wiping away junhui's tears, assuring him that everything is okay. "it's alright, petal, you didn't do anything, mingyu just has an ouchie. okay? you're okay, see?" he pats his arms. "no ouchies."

"but m-mingyu..."

to keep his confidence up, minghao tries to smile, "mingyu's okay, too. daddy is taking care of his booboos."

a high-pitched yelp from the kitchen distracts them, especially when wonwoo's deep voice follows it, "minghao, can you get the first aid kit?"

with junhui attached to his back and refusing to let go, minghao walks towards the kitchen. mingyu is sitting in a chair with his legs bent up, holding his calves to keep his feet from slipping off the seat.

kneeling on the floor, wonwoo dabs at mingyu's bloody knees with a dark, wet towel. every time the towel touches the scrapes, the little flinches or whimpers from the sting.

"i don't know where it is," minghao reveals. he didn't even know they _had_ a first aid kit, let alone where in the house it ended up. in his old apartment, minghao just kept a box of band-aids under the sink. he didn't have anything elaborate.

apparently wonwoo is more invested in his emergency supplies. "it's upstairs in the bathroom cabinet under the sink. we'll need the band-aids from there."

"don't you need to sterilize it?" minghao wonders out loud, shuffling closer to the pair.

wonwoo pauses, holding the towel to mingyu's knee. "crap."

mingyu pushes his hand away, "ah, ah, daddy, that hurts!"

wonwoo shushes him softly, standing and kissing mingyu's nose in apology. the little's knees both look much cleaner and less scary, but his elbow is scraped as well and he's still covered in dirt and a lot of sweat, neither of which are very sanitary when it comes to open wounds.

wonwoo looks to minghao as if the younger caregiver has all the answers to this, but that is far from the truth. they have to help one hurt little and another who is distraught over his condition; minghao is nearly overwhelmed with junhui alone.

and they both need to shower, junhui because he needs to freshen up after returning from work and mingyu because he's a _mess._ they can clean his scrapes with soap and apply cream and band-aids once they're done.

after mouthing the word 'shower' to wonwoo, the older caregiver nods. mingyu looks up at both of them with wide, watery eyes, and junhui's arms tighten around minghao. 

"i think it's bath time for our little boys, isn't it?"


	6. big band-aids (2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me accidentally giving junhui another cute pet name. no im not changing it. yes i probably will start using it, too.
> 
> bathtime ! i love writing it so much because it's just cute,, and i put way too much effort into thinking about jun and gyu's outfits ;-;
> 
> edit: proofread once and corrected!
> 
> junhui: toddler; petal, kitten  
> mingyu: 5-6; puppy  
> wonwoo (daddy), minghao (baba)

wonwoo is not known to be a perfectionist.

he’s neat, sure, minghao knows that; but wonwoo is never detail petty or someone who tidies his space frequently. that’s minghao’s job.

however, when it comes to mingyu— mingyu’s outfit, mingyu’s health, mingyu’s happiness— nothing is imperfect. wonwoo will do anything for mingyu, as long as he is safe and happy.

wonwoo would have stopped  _ time _ if it meant mingyu would feel better after his disastrous fall. minghao can see it in the way his eyes never leave mingyu unless it’s to look at his fellow caregiver. the minute tremble of his hands that always hover, ready to soothe.

and mingyu is just a little spoiled.

if the little is going to take a bath after scraping up his knees on the driveway, he is going to be surrounded by his favorite bubble bath soap and scrubbed with the newest, softest sponge they own.

it doesn’t stop mingyu from crying the entire time.

the four of them gather in the master bath, the tub filled with pleasantly warm water and foamy, scented bubbles.

wonwoo cradles mingyu in his arms once more, lowering him gently into the bath. it’s a little like trying to bathe a cat, even if mingyu is their pup. he struggles when the bubbles come close to his injured knees, forcing an unsteady drop into the water rather than the gentle descent wonwoo had been hoping for.

junhui watches from where he’s sitting in minghao’s lap on the tile floor. he grips minghao’s shirt and curls up against his chest, whimpering when his big brother does.

originally, junhui begged to take a bath with mingyu, even threw a small fit over it at wonwoo’s feet, but they had to deny him since they didn’t want them sharing dirty water.  as a compromise of sorts, it was promised that junhui could stay in the bathroom as long as he wanted until he took a bath, too.

he just wants to make sure that mingyu is okay. he hates not being able to help people, especially when they are hurt. leaving mingyu while he is in pain would be the worst thing imaginable.

even outside of headspace, he can feel guilty about not helping around the house, especially when he isn’t able to do things when he is little. they all do their best to alleviate that feeling as much as possible.

"daddy, it stings!" mingyu wails, kicking his feet out of the water.

"i know it does, baby."

"i don't wanna bath!" he declares next, looking up at his caregiver with teary eyes again. "i don't wanna get wet, it hurts!"

wonwoo looks seconds away from giving in and pulling mingyu out when he's not even halfway clean, and that is the last thing that he needs. mingyu needs to clean up and get antibiotic ointment and band-aids on his scrapes.

minghao, ever the firmer hand, speaks up while rubbing junhui's arm. "i know it hurts, pup, but sometimes it has to hurt so it can get better. you need to get clean before your booboos can start healing."

"but it hurts!"

"i know it does, that's the point." minghao urges junhui off of his lap, and the little goes reluctantly, latching himself onto wonwoo's leg instead.

minghao stands and runs his hand through the bath water, a cloud of bubbles collecting in his hand. he takes a whiff from them, rose and vanilla, the scent mingyu chose himself from the store.

"don't you like your bubbles? even if it hurts, you have your nice smelling bubbles to play with and it will be over quickly if you let daddy clean you up. understand that?"

mingyu pouts and looks at his knees and then back up at wonwoo. he nods. "sorry, baba..."

minghao smiles. wonwoo likes to joke about him being the "strict" one, but in the end, minghao is better at this than he is.

"don't be sorry for anything." he boops mingyu on the nose, leaving behind a clump of bubbles. "you're our good little boy."

defeated, mingyu sinks into the bath, submerging himself in bubbles. minghao wipes the bubbles off his hand and lets wonwoo begin bathing their oldest little, dumping water over his hair.

"baba, change, p'ease," junhui requests from where he sits on the floor.

minghao looks down to see junhui tugging futilely at his jeans, unable to get them off without help. he's still wearing his café polo t-shirt, just loose enough to be comfortable in while little, but barely.

"poor baby," minghao sighs. because he hadn't been prepared to regress, he is probably feeling uncomfortable in his clothes. "come here, petal."

with a little difficulty, minghao manages to lay junhui down and take off his jeans. with his legs finally free, the little kicks them happily.

afterwards, he brings junhui into his arms and lifts him, placing him on his hip and supporting his bottom so he doesn’t fall. junhui wraps his arms around minghao's neck and hides his face.

"let's go get some new clothes, hm?" the caregiver suggests. junhui wiggles closer. "mingyu, which clothes do you want? mingyu!"

mingyu, distracted by his bubbles, looks up, startling wonwoo who had been lathering his hair with shampoo. "tigger! i wanna wear tigger, please."

wonwoo smiles. "oh, will you get some towels?" he asks.

"sure. which?"

"the big beige ones, the soft ones. please?"

minghao expected nothing less. he agrees that their littles deserve nothing less than the fluffiest towels they own, but it still amuses minghao how obvious wonwoo's doting can be. he has to have the best towels for mingyu.

"let's go get those clothes, petal," minghao coos, bouncing junhui on his hip and kissing his cheek as he walks down the hall to the playroom.

he quickly finds the gray tigger shirt mingyu wants, tossing it and a pair of boxer shorts— since that seems like the only thing he'll want to wear with it— over his free shoulder. he flips through the closet, looking for anything junhui might want to wear.

the little turns his head and watches, the tip of his thumb breaching his lips. even though he hadn't planned on being little after work, minghao can tell that it will be difficult to get him back out of his headspace.

with his arms getting tired, minghao places junhui down on the carpet for a moment. "do want to pick your clothes, sweetheart?" he asks, trying to let him dictate his control.

junhui shakes his head, sucking his thumb into his mouth. "oh, no, petal, don't do that," minghao chides. he takes junhui's pacifier from the dresser nearby and replaces his thumb with the pink soother. the little's eyes slip shut, content.

chuckling at how cute his little is, minghao picks out a pink sweatshirt big enough to reach mid-thigh. he holds it up to junhui, and the little makes grabby hands for it before he can ask if it's what he wants.

by the time minghao makes it back to the bathroom, his arms are full. junhui sits on his hip, holding his sweatshirt and a towel. mingyu's clothes are thrown over minghao's other shoulder, more towels are draped over his arm, and he's holding a pair of thigh-high socks and a pull-up for junhui. 

wonwoo chuckles when he sees them, taking the towels from minghao's arms. he thanks him before lifting mingyu into sitting on the edge of the tub, wrapping the little in a towel to start drying him off while the water drains.

once mingyu is dry and dressed by wonwoo, swallowed up by his tigger shirt and giggling happily, minghao is told to retrieve the first aid kit from the cabinet.

while wonwoo prepares junhui's bath, the scent of eucalyptus and mint filling the bathroom, minghao rubs ointment over mingyu's scrapes. he only complains a little, squirming when it stings.

it takes two of the biggest sized band-aids to cover his left knee and another to cover his right. one size down covers the scratch on his elbow. "there we go, all better!"

mingyu pouts, "but you have to kiss it better! daddy always kisses it better."

wonwoo laughs, and minghao glares at him for just a second before he leans down and kisses each band-aid. "there.  _ now _ you're all better. you have to keep these clean, understand? if one of them falls off, let us know, and try not to get them wet, okay?"

the little nods, smiling again, "t'ank you, baba!"

minghao ruffles his hair. mingyu decides to sit on the edge of the tub where junhui is sitting naked, waiting for wonwoo to tell him he can get in the water. mingyu lifts his knees and elbow, "look, junnie! baba made me all better!"

the younger little's expression brightens, and he reaches his hand out to touch the band-aids in awe. he grins a little, especially when he looks up and mingyu is still smiling, no longer hurt.

"puppy," he gurgles around his paci. when he tries to scoot closer, wonwoo's hand reaches out to stop him from falling or getting too close.

"we need to get you clean, too, kitten," wonwoo reminds him. "all that coffee smell and sweat."

junhui just smiles and slips into his bath. he smushes bubbles in his hands as wonwoo begins scrubbing at his skin, not bothering to wash his hair until later.

mingyu plays with his baby brother while waiting for him to get out of the tub, playing peek-a-boo behind his hands and causing junhui to squeal with glee and clap.

by the time he's sitting in front of minghao bundled in towels, junhui is a giggly mess, laughing at everything his family does.

while wonwoo and mingyu clean the bathroom together and put away dirty clothes, minghao manages to dress junhui in his pull-up and sweatshirt, leaving him swimming in soft pink fabric.

junhui makes himself comfortable in minghao's lap, kicking out his legs and accidentally giving his caregiver easy access to his legs.

taking his opportunity, minghao wrestles junhui's white thigh-highs over his feet, pulling them up so that he doesn't complain about his legs being cold in the house. the bottoms of the socks have pink shapes that make his feet look like cat paws.

junhui wiggles his toes before sitting up and turning around. minghao raises an eyebrow, curious. "yes?"

"boo'oo," he says around his pacifier. one of his sleeve-covered hands hits minghao's knee, and the caregiver frowns.

"kitten, you don't have any booboos. you're okay." junhui whines loudly just as wonwoo walks back into the bathroom, mingyu behind him. "baby, i don't know what to tell you..."

"kitty?" mingyu says. he squats down next to junhui. "hi, kitty," he whispers.

junhui whines again, this time at mingyu. the older little returns to the first aid kit and picks out one of the smallest bandaids, and before anyone can stop him, he tears it open, peels off the paper, and plasters it to junhui's cheek.

"there! we match!" mingyu holds up his elbow, showing off his band-aid. "see?"

satisfied with his new band-aid, junhui giggles. minghao admits that it looks a little cute on his cheek, but he's glad that junhui isn't really hurt.

mingyu ends up convincing junhui to play with him in the playroom. the two run off together, junhui toddling behind his brother.

once they're gone, wonwoo sits on the floor beside minghao. he recognizes the older's reluctance.

"hey, are you okay?" he asks gently.

wonwoo nods. he shifts closer to minghao until their sides are pressed against each other. "i am, i am. i just— i was just nervous."

minghao takes wonwoo's hand, interlocking their fingers. he knows that he was just worried for mingyu. his little has always been his first priority. "you did a good job. i'm proud of you, won."

the older smiles and looks down, shy, "thank you, 'hao."

minghao doesn't stop looking at him.  _ cute. he's so cute. _ "of course."

he thinks about how quickly wonwoo took care of all of them and how much he loves them. he remembers how wonwoo held him close and kissed the top his head, remembers every time wonwoo smiled because of something minghao did.

_ screw it. _

minghao leans forward and kisses wonwoo on the cheek, laughing when his face flushes.


	7. kitty in a skirt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all are amazing ;-; im so happy to have a growing list of chapters to write!
> 
> admittedly i wrote this on impulse and it was supposed to be short. but then it came out as long as all the other ones. i'll just keep the momentum going for now ^-^
> 
> junhui: big; kitty  
> mingyu: 5-6; puppy  
> minghao (baba), wonwoo (daddy)

junhui likes a lot of things.

he likes his job at jeonghan's café, likes the gas station store full of sweets, likes the park near his new house that he also adores. he likes cats and their soft fur. he likes other soft things, especially if they're pink; sweaters and sweatshirts and blankets and socks. 

he also likes minghao, how he devotes himself to junhui, how he will do anything if it means junhui can have what he wants, whether it's a little hair clip that he doesn't even need or a carton of his favorite strawberry milk or just a scratch behind his ears in the middle of the night when he can't fall asleep.

the first time they met, junhui thought he was in too deep. he remembers making minghao's drink after joshua butchered his name on the cup, looking over his shoulder to see the customer talking into his phone in chinese, also casting glances his way.

he looked scary, overgrown black bangs and flashy streetwear with odd looking customizations. his voice was soft, but it sounded like he was nagging the person on the other end. when he got a good look at his face, he realized how cute he was.

junhui didn't find out what he was saying until later, when he handed minghao his hot tea.

_"he's so cute. no, i'm being serious, shut up! i'm not exaggerating, the barista really is that cute."_ he took the warm cup from junhui, giving him a quick and accented, "thank you," before smiling and continuing to talk.

_"you're welcome,"_ junhui replied, and minghao's face had fallen.

and the story goes a little like this:

minghao asks junhui on a date and junhui agrees. they find out that neither of them went to college and that— instead— both of them are overworked and overstressed. but they are perfect for each other nonetheless.

minghao spoils junhui just a little. junhui reveals that he likes cute things and minghao indulges him every chance that he gets. then, junhui reveals that he is a little and he regresses when he has time and minghao assures him that that's perfect and fine and offers to help.

flash forward. minghao is his caregiver. junhui works part-time, now, and he couldn't be happier with his boyfriend in their house, often regressing and playing with his big brother.

their family has grown, and junhui finds himself liking more things. things like milk tea and baby blocks and soccer balls. he's grown fond of puppies, of mingyu and his strong arms and twinkling eyes and high-pitched giggles that remind him of minghao.

now junhui has _two_ caregivers. he likes how he has wonwoo wrapped around his finger in every circumstance, how he can blink up at him or whine and he will be given anything that he wants. 

(he doesn't even have to worry about burdening wonwoo since the reason they can afford this house is because of wonwoo's financial stability. he's never had trouble spoiling mingyu, and that easily translates with junhui.)

junhui likes his family. he likes his big brother and his baba and his daddy. he likes his boyfriend and his fellow little and that little's boyfriend. he wants to have this home forever.

"kitty!"

and he will, junhui thinks as mingyu breaks into a run, colliding into junhui and swallowing him in a hug. he will have this home forever. minghao and mingyu and wonwoo.

the little holds him to his chest and nuzzles into his hair, murmuring shyly into his ear, "hi, kitty."

he thinks it's odd how quickly mingyu has adapted that name for him. it must be the fact that they call him puppy. that, and junhui's kitty socks and plethora of cat things.

"hello, pup," he greets back, smiling into mingyu's chest. gosh, he wants to take care of him for the rest of his life. "what is it, baby?"

mingyu pulls away and gives him those puppy dog eyes that no one can resist. except minghao. "can junnie play with me? please?"

junhui just smiles, cupping mingyu's cheeks with his hands. he almost wishes that minghao and wonwoo were home so that he could play with mingyu while little, but both caregivers are busy and it's up to him to take care of him.

"of course i will, gyu," he promises, "what do you want to play?"

mingyu wants to play dress up. he takes junhui upstairs and has him sit on the floor of their bedroom, instructing him to change into the outfit he presents him with.

that's how junhui ends up sitting on the bed in mingyu’s baby blue sweater that’s too heavy for summer, a pink, tulle skirt he had no idea they owned, and junhui’s baby chick yellow socks with frilly lace on the ankles.

although he isn’t going to slip into his headspace, junhui looks and feels very cute. he’s never worn a skirt before, but he can’t say he minds it; he might even say that he feels pretty in it.

his socks look like baby socks and mingyu’s sweater is huge on his thinner frame, leaving his hands covered and part of his collarbone exposed. he looks tiny.

however, the outfit alone isn’t enough to satisfy mingyu. he straddles junhui’s lap to put clips in his hair, all of them belonging to little junnie. they range from white to purple to little pink roses.

once the final clip is secured, mingyu leans back and scans junhui’s face. he pets down his hair and grins, “there. now big junnie is all pretty!”

and he looks so happy, junhui would be a monster to tell him that he probably would only wear these things while little. he appreciates mingyu’s efforts and agrees that he does look pretty.

“thank you, pup, it’s all thanks to you,” he praises him. "i do look pretty now, don't i?" he smiles.

then, the front door downstairs opens, and minghao's voice travels through the house, "boys! we're back!"

mingyu clambers down from the bed and scampers off, taking to the stairs with an excited shout, "baba, baba! i made junnie pretty, you have to see!"

junhui waits at the top of the stairs, only going down a few steps so that he can see the front door where wonwoo and minghao are taking off their shoes, smiling and humoring a very hyper mingyu.

"daddy, baba, junnie 'nd i played dress up and junnie looks pretty now! i did his hair and everything too and now he looks like a fairy. i know daddies are going to love it!"

"a fairy?" wonwoo wonders. he sounds tired, voice low and not as peppy as usual. "how'd you do that, pup?"

minghao's got his studio bag slung over his shoulder, still in his tank top and shorts. his eyes are glued on mingyu, just like wonwoo's, "well, where is he?"

junhui can't stop grinning to himself. his caregivers love them so much. even after coming home from work, they are ready to drop everything for him and mingyu.

something warm blossoms in his chest, traveling upwards to his cheeks until he's blushing furiously, overflowing with love. junhui is so lucky. he's so lucky to have them.

he shuffles down a few more steps, holding onto the railing with one hand and flattening out his skirt with the other. he feels three pairs of eyes train on him at once, and he only feels more embarrassed.

minghao's mouth opens in surprise, and wonwoo just smiles. mingyu bounces on his feet, grinning. junhui waves shyly at the three of them, "hi."

"hi, junnie," wonwoo says. after a beat, he adds, "don't just stand there, come here."

junhui skips down the last of the stairs, stopping in front of the trio. mingyu looks between all of them, searching for a reaction to the outfit he chose for junhui.

"you look so cute!" minghao reaches forward and pinches junhui's cheeks, smushing his face and forcing a pout onto his lips. "my little baby."

"'m not little," junhui pouts.

"doesn't mean you're not my baby," minghao pouts back.

"you look nice," wonwoo muses, reaching up and fiddling with one of the clips in his hair. 

his hair probably looks a little weird, but he thinks that wonwoo is right. even if the outfit isn't very cohesive, the pastel clothing items that mingyu picked at least match. the play skirt probably helps a lot in making him look nice. different, at least.

"thank you," he says.

minghao giggles, now distracted by his hair as well. he fiddles with a cat clip, and junhui almost swats his hand away. "aw, kitten, you've got your clips, too."

"i picked them!" mingyu cries.

"you did such a good job, pup," wonwoo says.

minghao agrees, "yes, our pup and kitten are both so cute!"

junhui's face burns. he admits that he likes this, too. he likes feeling pretty and comfortable, even if he isn't little. he likes the soft sweater paws and scratchy tulle that sways with his hips.

he likes the feeling of minghao's hands cupping his face, the pads of his fingers rubbing his cheeks and tucking strands of hair behind junhui's ear. he likes minghao's soft voice, the way he croons to him so that the others can't hear, _"you're still my cutie."_

he also likes the dopey smile on wonwoo's face, how _obviously_ enamored he is with junhui, rubbing his shoulder and reaching for his hand, falling short of holding it in his.

and mingyu. he likes mingyu's enthusiasm and kindness and confidence, especially when it comes to things like throwing junhui in a skirt and frilly socks just for fun.

junhui loves that they accept him; that they don't care about him wearing a skirt, even if it only ends up being one time. junhui loves them. loves minghao. loves mingyu. loves wonwoo.


	8. café catastrophe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you cupidsaero for your request ! i hope theres enough jeonghan content in this _almost_ 3k chapter! i had fun writing it regardless. we also see joshua introduced a little bit, too!
> 
> also, i couldn't resist long-haired jeonghan. remember aju nice? i was self-indulgent with jeonghan's hair for this ;-;
> 
> junhui: 2-3; junbug, angel, petal  
> jeonghan (hannie), minghao (baba), wonwoo (daddy)

thursday afternoons are usually rather calm at the café. that’s something junhui can appreciate, especially since he has spent the past two days taking care of mingyu with minghao rather than being little.

for some reason, he hadn’t felt like regressing during that time. it wasn’t a problem nor did it bother anyone, including himself. in fact, judging by how many times minghao asked him for a kiss, the younger enjoyed the time junhui spent big.

but now he’s starting to feel the effects. in the middle of his shift, no less. 

it’s been a long time since junhui has felt overly sensitive or stressed over something, but now he finds himself reacting to everything. 

oh, that order was awkward. is that too much ice? she frowned when she walked away, it must have been something i did. we’re out of croissants, i must have disappointed him. oh, god, do we have enough cake pops?

halfway through his shift, junhui realizes how much he needs to slip, and he panics, just a little. 

sure, jeonghan knows about junhui’s headspace— he told the manager years ago when he first started— but he’s never had something like this happen to him. 

between customers, he spaces out quicker that usual. he almost forgets that he's supposed to talk when taking orders instead of just smiling, and he has to hold an empty cup for thirty seconds before he remembers how to make an americano, one of the easiest drinks on their menu. 

joshua has to snap him out of it more than once, and junhui is grateful that it’s him on staff since he’s closer to him than a lot of the others. 

eventually, though, they settle into a pattern. junhui manages to keep himself from getting overwhelmed by talking to joshua and concentrating on cleaning his space. 

it works for several hours, even if he does feel the nagging urge to regress in the back of his mind. he knows that he can wait until he gets home. 

half an hour until his shift ends, a woman enters the café. she stands to the side for two minutes and looks at the menu before finally approaching the register. junhui doesn’t think anything of it and waits with a smile for her to order.

“can i please get a medium frappuccino?” she asks. junhui feels his nerves prickle. her voice sounds _really_ condescending for no reason. “and can you substitute for almond milk? i don’t want regular milk.”

“i’m sorry, ma’am, but we don’t do substitutions for frappuccinos. i can substitute for a different drink and we have other dairy-free options.” 

the woman gets this strange look on her face. like she can’t comprehend that junhui won’t do exactly what she wants. it’s not his fault that jeonghan doesn’t want his almond milk being used up in frappuccinos. 

“are you sure?” she insists, voice sickeningly sweet. “i know you can. i can pay an upcharge or whatever, i just need almond milk.” she smiles and kind of roots around in her purse like she’s looking for her wallet.

junhui is stressed. this woman can’t take a hint. “i’m sorry, but i can’t substitute anything.” 

“oh, just get me the frappuccino,” she says, waving junhui off and handing him a five. he really wants to protest at first, but he gives up and just rings up a medium frappuccino and gives her her change. 

joshua flashes junhui a smile before disappearing into the back, probably to restock the pastries that are looking a little barren. 

junhui goes about making the drink, blending the milk, coffee, ice, and sugar. he pours the drink and adds whipped cream and a little bit of chocolate syrup, just like he’s supposed to. 

he could have used almond milk— it wouldn’t have affected the drink at all— but almond milk is more expensive than regular milk, and because frappuccinos are more frequently bought, jeonghan doesn't want his almond milk being used up. that’s something junhui can’t change.

he sets the drink out and calls the name for the order, and when the woman comes up to the counter, she doesn’t look happy, and junhui’s heart sinks. 

“i watched you make my drink,” she starts, “and you put in whole milk even though i asked for almond milk. you’re going to remake this drink with almond milk right now.”

at this point, junhui shouldn’t even be surprised. he stutters a little, “b-but i told you i can’t substitute, i made it just like it says on the menu.”

“now you’re not going to remake it? i can’t drink milk, are you trying to poison me or something? you’ve been nothing but rude to me since i got here!”

what? _what?_ junhui feels tears well up in his eyes. he hasn’t done anything! why is she so angry? he can’t remake this drink. he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do here!

the woman grimaces at him, looking junhui up and down. “get me your manager…” she looks at his name tag, “jun... h…”

“j-junhui.”

“yeah.”

junhui manages to keep his tears at bay long enough to get jeonghan. the manager and café owner looks up when junhui enters the back room he’s in, and it only takes one look for the older to get up and follow him to the front.

junhui follows like a lost child, watching jeonghan’s swaying ponytail helplessly, afraid that he might get in trouble, even if that’s a stupid thought. 

that lady yelled at him! surely that means he’ll be in trouble. junhui doesn’t want to be in trouble.

joshua is putting croissants into the pastry case when jeonghan approaches the counter with his own overly polite smile. “i’m sorry, what’s the problem?”

the woman straightens, “ma’am, your employee is rude and refused to substitute for almond milk and he refuses to make my drink. i asked him to substitute, and he didn’t even though he can!”

junhui looks at jeonghan and sees that his smile is now hollow. he knows jeonghan’s long hair and soft features are misleading at times, but no one has ever mistaken him for a woman at the café. he kind of looks pissed.

looking at the drink and then back up at the customer, jeonghan chuckles a little, “i don’t see anything wrong with this drink, it’s been made perfectly. we don’t do frappuccino substitutions, i apologize. also, i am a man, please don’t call me ma’am.”

what does she think this is, a starbucks? café carat prides itself on being a quality bakery and coffee shop. jeonghan says that he’s proud to be one of a kind.

jeonghan picks up the drink and sets it closer to her. “you need to leave my store, with or without this drink that you have already paid for and received correctly. you need to leave either way.”

after the woman huffs, she storms out of the store, leaving behind her frappuccino.

as soon as she is out of eyesight, jeonghan turns to junhui, holding his arms and meeting his eyes with a worried look on his face, “hey, jun, are you okay?”

junhui shakes his head. he’s glad he isn’t in trouble and that the scary lady is gone, but the interaction still frustrated and frightened him. he can also feel his relief overtaking his other feelings. he’s regressing, slowly but surely.

junhui ends up sitting on the floor in the small kitchen, the farthest he could get before he burst into tears. jeonghan crouches in front of him, keeping him from digging his fists into his eyes.

“‘m sorry,” he mewls sadly. “didn’t m-mean to.” 

“you didn’t do anything wrong, angel,” jeonghan says. “you did perfect, you’re not in trouble at all, okay?”

junhui nods automatically before reaching out for a hug, wanting to be close to someone. jeonghan takes him into his arms, allowing him to cry into his shoulder until he calms down. 

“it’s alright,” jeonghan murmurs. “that lady is just mean, alright? you’re perfect. you’re so perfect for us.”

jeonghan has always been a mother hen of sorts. he likes to tease everyone and make jokes, and he’s a confident boss, but he is very caring and looks after all of them. he always says that his café is nothing without his little diamonds. 

jeonghan has never met little junhui before, but he has heard him talk about his headspace excessively. junhui hopes he is still as accepting as the first time he told him he regresses because by the time that junhui is calm again, he’s slipped into his headspace.

jeonghan continues to rub his back. he pulls away and thumbs away the last of his tears, noticing something different. “angel, are you alright? hannie’s right here, you can tell me anything.”

the little can’t keep his bottom lip from trembling, “junnie little.”

“aw, my little angel is feeling small? it’s okay, junnie, i’ve got you.”

“really?” junhui blinks up at jeonghan. “it’s okay?” 

his mind already feels fuzzy. his thoughts are easily distracted by jeonghan’s calming presence, especially his long, black hair that fascinates junhui. he keeps it up during work, and this time it’s in a high ponytail, draping past his shoulders. 

“of course it is,” jeonghan assures him. “how about we get you out of your work clothes, hm? we’ll get you comfy and then we’ll figure out what to do, okay?” he brushes junhui’s hair back, and the little smiles.

the two go to the employee room where junhui’s things are. jeonghan spreads out the spare outfit he finds in junhui’s bag before letting him have his privacy, stepping out of the room and telling him to call if he needs anything.

it’s a struggle for junhui to even take off his apron and pants. he manages his shirt just fine, but when he tries to kick off his pants and they just don’t come off immediately, he gets frustrated. 

“hannie!” he cries for help.

the door opens, and when jeonghan notices what kind of problem junhui has gotten himself into, his expression turns smitten. “poor thing, let me help.”

he pulls junhui’s pants off for him and helps him into the jean shorts he brought, telling him how proud of him he is once he is all dressed. “that’s better, isn’t, angel.”

junhui nods and hugs jeonghan. he feels a little better, more relaxed. the only thing that would make this better is if he was at home with his family.

oh.

“baba…” he whimpers.

jeonghan coos, “you want your baba? you want minghao to come pick you up? i think that’s a good idea, too. come here, come on.”

the older packs junhui’s backpack, taking the little by the hand and pulling him into the dining area. he sits him down in a tiny booth meant for two next to the window.

the two cram into one side of the booth, junhui with his legs crossed underneath him and jeonghan with his feet resting on the other side.

jeonghan hands junhui his backpack, and the little holds it to his chest like one of his stuffies. “do you want me to text minghao for you? so that he can come get you?” 

joshua floats by with a familiar frappuccino, setting it on the table and looking to junhui sympathetically.

“hey, junbug,” he greets him. his voice is soft and kind like always. “you can have the drink you made, if you want. if you don’t, that’s okay too.”

little junhui doesn’t remember what the drink is made of, but looking at it and the chocolate swirl on top, he wants it. so, he reaches out and takes the cup with a content smile.

jeonghan’s arm settles around junhui’s shoulders, tickling the hairs at the nape of his neck. “thank you, josh! i’ll take care of our jun until his partner comes to pick him up.”

“okay,” joshua smiles. he gives a wave towards junhui that the little returns happily, “bye, junbug, i’ll see you later.”

“bye-bye!” 

“will you let me use your phone, junhui?”

he nods, and soon jeonghan is texting minghao while junhui looks over his shoulder. 

he takes a sip of his frosty drink, just to have something in his mouth. it’s no pacifier, but the cool drink is a little sweet, reminding junhui of a milkshake. 

he doesn’t drink coffee, finds it too bitter, but the abundance of milk, ice, and sugar balances it out. he doesn’t hate the frappe, but he doesn’t like it, either.

“is it good?” jeonghan murmurs while waiting for a text back. 

junhui snuggles into his side, taking another sip. he shakes his head.

that makes jeonghan chuckle. “angel, you don’t have to drink it if you don’t like it.”

he tries to take the cup from junhui, but the little whines and refuses to let go. “mine.”

he made this drink and joshua gave it to him! even if he doesn’t like it too much, he’s still going to finish it because it’s his now. 

“oh, i’m sorry,” jeonghan apologizes. 

junhui takes the occasional sip of his drink, leaning his head on jeonghan’s shoulder and combing his fingers through jeonghan’s ponytail. 

he twists a couple of strands idly while jeonghan speaks to him. it’s nowhere close to a braid, but it still looks pretty to junhui. junhui thinks jeonghan looks pretty with his hair so long.

he likes jeonghan a lot. he’s never been with him before in headspace, but jeonghan is very kind and attentive to him. everything about him is gentle, from his high-pitched voice to the way he rubs circles into junhui’s back. 

“you’re such a sweet angel, junhui,” he coos to him, smiling as the little nuzzles into the hand cupping his face. “such a nice little boy, hm?”

junhui feels himself blush a little, happy to receive such a compliment. 

even though jeonghan isn’t one of junhui’s caregivers or an established babysitter for him, the little finds himself enjoying his company, even if they’re just sitting together in the café, trying to soothe his stress.

he lets junhui play with his fingers and hair, babbling quietly. junhui basks in the attention that jeonghan gives him, listening and responding to the things the little says, even if he doesn’t understand. 

finally, the chiming bell of the café interrupts them and both of them look up. junhui’s face lights up when he sees who enters the store.

“oh, petal!”

a relieved wonwoo rushes towards their booth, his arms open for junhui.

the little grins, reaching out to him, “woo!” 

jeonghan separates from junhui, slipping out of the booth. junhui quickly follows and runs straight into wonwoo’s arms, squeezing him with all of his strength.

“oh, my little petal, i was worried about you!” he says into his hair. “daddy’s here, baby, don’t worry,” he adds softly.

“baba where?” junhui asks.

there are a few more footsteps, a second pair of arms envelope them, and junhui reognizes heavy scent of mint— and sweat. _“baba’s right here.”_

they must have just gotten off of work like junhui. wonwoo’s still wearing his white, short-sleeved button up, and minghao, if his sweaty brow is anything to go by, has just finished his last class for the day. 

“i assume he was good?” wonwoo says above junhui, and the little realizes the question is directed towards jeonghan. 

“oh, absolutely perfect!” jeonghan’s cheery voice replies. “little junnie is just adorable!”

minghao ruffles junhui’s hair and kisses the top of his head, “that’s our good boy, always so sweet. thank you for taking care of him, jeonghan, we appreciate it so, so much.”

peeking back at jeonghan, junhui sees the café manager scratch behind his neck, “ah, well, it was the least i could do.”

wonwoo urges junhui to untuck himself, “do you want to say goodbye before we go, petal?”

junhui doesn’t waste time going back to hug jeonghan tightly. the older returns the hug, leaning up to pet junhui’s head once, “thank you for letting me take care of you, angel.”

the little smiles. he waves at jeonghan tinyly, “bye-bye, hannie!”

he returns the sentiment, “bye-bye!”

once they’re in the small parking lot, junhui notices wonwoo’s car parked next to his. the little is asked who he would rather ride home with, and he expresses his preference by hugging on wonwoo’s arm.

with his backpack sitting safely in the front seat and his drink still in the little’s hands, wonwoo buckles junhui in the back seat.

looking into the café, junhui sees jeonghan through the window, and he waves and waves until the older waves back with a smile. it continues even as wonwoo pulls out of the parking lot, heading home.

at first, junhui wants to tell his daddy all about the exciting day he’s had, but that quickly becomes too difficult as he watches café carat disappear in the distance. 

junhui falls asleep in the back seat, head lolled to the side and his frappuccino still sitting in his lap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next is soonyoung's introduction!


	9. adventures in babysitting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> soonyoung, wonwoo's best friend since high school, accidentally plays a big role in wonwoo and mingyu's relationship as he learns more about age regression through babysitting mingyu. he later becomes the force that brings minghao and wonwoo together, continuing to babysit for mingyu and, later, junhui. but as time goes on, he starts to doubt his professionality at being a caregiver. should he really enjoy playing this much...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we go! soonyoungs entrance (and future role) suggested by the lovely kwonhoranghae! we'll see him later on as well, but there'll be one or two chapters before then ;-; your contribution is very appreciated !!
> 
> enjoy! stay safe everyone <3 (apologies for errors. i have no excuse.)

soonyoung kwon meets wonwoo jeon on a rainy, humid august afternoon a week into their freshman year of high school.

caught waiting for his ride outside when a storm comes through, soonyoung sprints the length of the building in the rain to reach the nearest awning covered doorway.

a boy is already sitting against the wall when he approaches, now thoroughly drenched. his hair is black and his curling bangs fall part way in front of his delicate, circular glasses.

he’s reading a book. soonyoung recognizes it as the same one they’re reading in honors literature. meaning— he’s in the same grade as him.

actually, he recognizes the boy from his humanities class— what’s his name? if only he could pay attention in that class.

he can hardly pay attention long enough to get their soccer coach social studies teacher to pronounce his own name correctly, let alone remember the name of this stranger who is also probably having name problems as well.

no matter who it is, he looks up when soonyoung appears, eyes wide with surprise at seeing someone else still waiting outside.

soonyoung catches his breath, smiling awkwardly at the other freshman. “sorry, i just— kinda got caught in the rain.”

“yeah,” the kid says. his voice is odd, like it’s supposed to be deeper but it’s still cracking. “obviously.”

soonyoung decides to make a move. he hasn’t made any friends from the other middle schools, sticking to the ones he kept from his own.

he’s surrounded by new kids, but he doesn’t know where to start. but with this guy— there’s a connection.

“humanities, right?” he breaks the ice, pointing at the other boy. “second period?”

he closes his book, setting it to the side on his backpack. it looks like he’s pretty far in. soonyoung’s pretty sure the class hasn’t gone past chapter one.

“yeah,” he says again. “we sit next to each other.”

that’s right, they do! how could he forget? “we do! i never introduced myself before. i’m... eddy.”

the boy snorts, “no, you’re not. mr. chase tried to say ‘soonyoung’ four times and still didn’t know how to say it. your name isn’t eddy.”

“alright, you caught me.” soonyoung throws his hands up. he decides to sit in front of his new friend, careful to avoid dripping on him. “but it’s not my fault my name's not fun and easy.”

a grimace, “as if ‘wonwoo’ is any better. i’m pretty sure he wanted to laugh.”

oh, so wonwoo is his name. soonyoung doesn’t remember hearing it during class. “yeah, you’re right. forget coach. i’ll say your name right. i’ll even come up with a cute nickname to go with it!”

wonwoo laughs. it’s a beautiful thing. it’s quiet, but his body shakes and his nose scrunches up and wow. it should be a national treasure.

“okay, soonyoung. have fun with that nickname,” he says, clearly not believing him.

they sit for several minutes and talk about school. they find out each other’s schedules and soonyoung teases wonwoo for being a nerd.

they differ a lot, they find. wonwoo is in an advanced math class; soonyoung is taking geometry. wonwoo is taking french for the second year in a row; soonyoung is taking spanish for the first time.

but soonyoung also finds that their different interests (taekwondo vs video games, history vs math) combined with their mutual introversion makes it easy for them to get along.

sure, things are awkward. they just met, and soonyoung is soaking wet! but that’s the beauty of a budding friendship.

by the time soonyoung’s mother pulls up to pick him up, soonyoung has not only made a new friend, but also a nickname for that friend. he’s almost giddy when he gets up to leave, facing the rain with a smile.

“i’ll see you tomorrow, soonyoung,” wonwoo promises him with a smile, waving goodbye to him.

soonyoung slings his backpack over his shoulder, calling back to wonwoo, “see you, nonu!”

soonyoung kwon meets mingyu kim three days after thanksgiving and nearly halfway through his junior year of college.

he arrives home a day earlier than expected, which he thought would be fine for wonwoo, his roommate, considering the other hadn't traveled for the holiday.

but, as soonyoung lugs his suitcase into the apartment only to find a different pair of shoes sitting by the door, he realizes that it might have been a problem not telling wonwoo about his plans.

he can hear giggling from the living. he can also see  _ paw patrol _ playing on tv, even from the front door, and soonyoung is very, very confused.

since when did wonwoo babysit kids?

"nonu?" he calls, not wanting to intrude on anything he shouldn't.

wonwoo's head immediately lifts, popping over the couch. he stares at soonyoung with wide, afraid eyes. wonwoo doesn't give him enough time to ask questions about what is going on before he crosses the apartment, taking soonyoung's arm and dragging him into the kitchen.

"hey, hey— what's your deal?" soonyoung hisses, tearing his arm away. when soonyoung tries to look into the living room, wonwoo forces him to look at him instead. soonyoung huffs petulantly.

"do you remember mingyu? my boyfriend?" wonwoo asks.

"yes, i do," soonyoung answers slowly. "and what does he have to do with this?"

wonwoo swallows, "there's this thing we haven't told you about. he— do you know what age regression is?"

soonyoung blinks. "i think so? that's like when the brain returns to the mindset of a child. like— when under stress or something?"

"yeah, basically," wonwoo sighs. it's quiet for several seconds. he looks away from soonyoung, embarrassed, but he can't imagine what he could be embarrassed about.

"wonwoo," soonyoung says. he has a suspicion, wants to know if it's outlandish or if he's onto something for once. "is mingyu... like that?"

one nod and flurry of begging for him not to freak out later, soonyoung is stepping carefully into his own living room behind wonwoo.

_ paw patrol _ is still playing, but the volume isn't very loud and no one is paying attention to it anymore.

there's a boy soonyoung has never seen before sitting on the floor wearing long, jean overalls and a sweater, hugging a stuffed turtle in his right arm and a gripping blue crayon in his left. 

soonyoung makes the assumption that this is mingyu, the boyfriend that wonwoo just pleaded soonyoung to be gentle and patient with because he was mentally five years old at the moment.

soonyoung doesn't have a problem with it, really! he's just curious, never having encountered this before. he's afraid to come as close to mingyu as wonwoo, the regressor not having noticed him in the room yet.

mingyu has soft looking black hair which has curled a little on his forehead. he has big, dark eyes and is very concentrated on the coloring book in front of him, his little tongue poking between his lips.

the sight is adorable, and the last thing soonyoung wants to do is to ruin it. he hangs back, letting wonwoo kneel beside mingyu to draw his attention away from coloring.

wonwoo is incredibly gentle as he speaks softly to mingyu, rubbing his arm the entire time he talks. at some point, mingyu shakes his head softly and wonwoo kisses the side of his head.

"hey, soonie!" wonwoo calls, looking up. his tone is light and inviting. "come sit with us!"

there are other things soonyoung should be doing, like unpacking his suitcase or sleeping the exhaustion that comes from traveling off, but he ends up sitting across from mingyu on the living room floor instead.

the regressor just kind of stares at him for a few seconds. soonyoung can't really blame him since he's accidentally invaded his space. he smiles in return, trying to convey that he means no harm.

"hi," mingyu finally says, voice small and high.

"hello," soonyoung returns the greeting. "my name is soonyoung. i'm wonwoo's roommate."

unsure, mingyu bites his top lip. he hesitantly asks, "live with daddy?"

wonwoo laughs a little awkwardly, "that's right, sprout. soonie lives here with me."

mingyu nods in understanding, and it isn't long before he goes back to coloring in peace. the only difference might be in the way he holds his stuffie closer to his chest, glancing at soonyoung every once in a while.

eventually, soonyoung is coerced into coloring a picture as well. he finds it surprisingly relaxing; it reminds him of that adult coloring book phase the world had a couple of years ago.

he thinks this is better than that, though. the picture is nice and simple and cute, and the crayon is easy enough to color with.

soonyoung becomes immersed in coloring, only looking up to compliment mingyu's drawing. he has so much fun relaxing with mingyu that he doesn't catch himself falling asleep at the table.

and if wonwoo is the one who carried him to bed that night, he doesn't mention it the next day.

a few years down the line, soonyoung is two things: a full-time dancer, and a part-time babysitter.

after wonwoo landed an office job, leaving mingyu alone and— more often than not— regressed during the day, soonyoung offered to take care of the little every way he could.

as time has gone on, mingyu has come out of his headspace less and less. there are days when he has to to take care of himself, but if he is given the option to stay little, he will take it.

soonyoung doesn't mind babysitting mingyu. he finds it fun. he may not be an expert caregiver, but mingyu loves him and they know how to have fun with each other.

since soonyoung also works most of the week, mingyu comes with him to the dance studio.

he usually sits in the corner, occupying himself with some paper and markers or a game or cartoon on his phone. with how many hours he's spent in the studio sitting in on classes and watching soonyoung work, they're probably running out of  _ paw patrol _ episodes for him to watch.

_ at least he's learning, _ soonyoung assures himself when mingyu confidently counts to one hundred for him on the car ride to the studio.  _ if there's anything a five year old should be able to do, it's name his numbers and colors, right? _

the other instructors at the studio have become rather accustomed to mingyu's presence, and no one seems to have any problems with him constantly hanging around.

minghao generally leaves him alone, but after soonyoung explained it to him, the younger said he was fine with mingyu's headspace and cooed at him from afar.

chan, their most recently hired, has made good friends with the little. in between classes or on his break, it's not unlikely for him to approach mingyu and ask what he's doing. the little is always happy to explain what is happening in his show.

(soonyoung's pretty sure he's caught chan sitting and watching a whole episode of  _ spongebob squarepants _ with mingyu, unable to turn away from the fun cartoon.)

so, it's no problem when mingyu sits in the practice room while soonyoung goes over a routine with minghao and chan. they're not distracted by him, and mingyu looks rather interested in what they're doing.

but it's not always easy leaving a little to keep themselves entertained. after all, he needs attention, too! it's hard for mingyu to get that while soonyoung is working.

mingyu sits in the corner of the room, pouting while watching them rehearse. every time there's a lull in routine, he whines softly, and every time soonyoung catches it, he has to ask him to wait patiently.

but little mingyu isn't patient. he has spent all morning waiting for soonyoung to make time for him!

"soonie..." he calls at one point, a bit distraught at being ignored.

soonyoung feels terrible, but he has to make sure that minghao and chan have this routine down so they can reteach it. "mingyu..."

alas, the others notice as well. chan gestures to the little, "come on, you're hurting his feelings!"

minghao bites his lip, looking hesitantly between soonyoung and mingyu.

"i wanna play with soonie!" mingyu exclaims, on the verge of tears, "i don't wanna watch anymore!"

frustrated, soonyoung doesn't know what to do. chan silently pleads with him to do something, but it's minghao who steps up.

he rushes over to mingyu, crouching to his level in order to thumb away a stray tear that had fallen.

"it's okay, baby," soonyoung hears him say gently. "you don't have to if you don't want to."

"i want to play with soonie..." mingyu sniffles in response.

"i know, i know. why don't you play with me instead? we can do whatever you want until soonie is finished, okay?"

mingyu hesitates, looking at soonyoung before turning back to minghao. "okay..."

"hey, no tears," minghao says with a smile, brushing mingyu's hair back. "you're a big boy, aren't you?" mingyu nods. "big boys don't throw tantrums. big boys use their words. tell me what you want, mingyu."

soonyoung and chan watch in awe as mingyu tells minghao that he wants to color with someone and how he wants to get away from the loud music. minghao nods along with everything he says, agreeing immediately before sending mingyu off to wait for him outside the practice room.

"i won't have to teach this routine until tomorrow, so it should be fine if i keep him entertained for awhile," he explains to the other dancers, ignoring their impressed expressions.

"how did you do that?" soonyoung asks, wanting minghao to bestow his caregiving wisdom.

"yeah, that was great," chan adds.

minghao's eyes widen as if he's been caught doing something, "oh, well— i already take care of junhui, so i guess it's just kind of natural?"

"jun's a little, too?" chan asks, caught in the middle.

"uh, yes?"

soonyoung grins, "oh my god, this is great!" he comes forward and shakes minghao in a hug, "you should meet wonwoo!"

if there's one thing soonyoung likes about the dance studio hiring more instructors, it's having more time to color with mingyu whenever he has to babysit him.

minghao's teaching a few classes, junhui's pulling a shift at the café, and wonwoo is at work, leaving soonyoung at their house having the time of his life with mingyu, running around and playing with legos and making the most art in his life.

it's something he's adjusted to. he figures that if he's going to spend so much time around mingyu while he's regressed, then he might as well enjoy it. he believes that it is relaxing for him as much as it is for mingyu.

in a way, soonyoung is thankful that he and wonwoo are friends. wonwoo is always looking out for him and the people he loves. soonyoung is thankful for his support and the opportunity to support him in return.

"soonie, soonie, i drew a flower," mingyu says, capping his pink marker and holding up his drawing. it's very nice and cute. "wanna give it to junnie!"

soonyoung giggles, tangling their legs together underneath the coffee table. "that's so beautiful!" he compliments, the little shyly thanking him.

a minute later, the front door opens. both look up at the noise. mingyu leaps up with his drawing, running towards the door with an excited, "baba! daddy!"

soonyoung twists his body and sees minghao standing at the door kicking off his shoes, junhui clinging to his frame half-asleep.

wonwoo heads towards the living room after taking off his shoes, ruffling soonyoung's hair as he sits on the edge of the couch.

"hey!" he grins. "look, i drew tiger with mingyu." soonyoung picks up his own drawing, hands smudged with orange, and he shows it wonwoo.

the caregiver smiles fondly, leaning down to squeeze soonyoung in a hug, "it's lovely, thank you for taking care of him, soon."

heart thumping in his chest, soonyoung wiggles closer to the affection, "of course! anything for you, nonu."


	10. picnic in the park

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hellojaem's suggestion of ot4 getting out and about! i just kind of rolled with the idea of going to the park, so here we are! 
> 
> school is starting soon for me! i'll be much more busy, i think, but i'm kind of excited for a return to routine. so, i can't promise a quick update for anything, but i won't be gone forever ! stay safe, everyone.
> 
> mingyu: 5-6; sprout  
> junhui: 2-3; petal  
> minghao (baba), wonwoo (daddy)

“daddy! daaaddy!” junhui wails, his sneakers kicking the back on minghao’s seat. “go, go!”

minghao inhales, letting his head fall against the headrest of his seat.  _ it’s too early for this. _

he internally curses toddlers’ habit of incessant wriggling and kicking. junhui’s legs aren’t short, and even though wonwoo’s car is spacious for four people, there isn’t enough leg room to save minghao from his little’s excitement.

at least mingyu hasn’t joined junhui in his fit. mingyu is an expert at throwing tantrums to get his way, and the only reason he usually keeps it reeled in is because minghao is always around to scold him.

junhui is no stranger to faking tears, but he’s usually better behaved, even without minghao around.

but this— sitting in the front passenger seat of wonwoo’s car as junhui shouts and kicks his seat from behind him at seven-thirty in the morning, mingyu bouncing with the same enthusiasm but quite at the point of vocalizing it— oh, it gets on minghao’s nerves. 

he feels like an actual father of an actual toddler, or maybe like one of those middle-aged white women on a flight with a kid sitting behind them. 

he doesn’t want to channel that aggressive energy, especially towards his precious petal, but at this time of day, it’s not hard to come close.

“daddy! buckle, buckle!” the calling continues as junhui begs for wonwoo just to fix his seatbelt for him. 

“baba,” mingyu says, “when are we going to leave?”

“as soon as  _ daddy _ finishes packing the trunk,” minghao grits, making his voice loud enough for wonwoo to hear him.

“now!” junhui interjects.

“can’t we go now? i wanna go to the park!”

“d-daddy… b-buckle!”

“daddy, junnie’s gonna cry!”

all chatter stops when the trunk slams shut, wonwoo evidently finished putting everything away. a few seconds later, junhui’s door opens, and minghao turns his head to see wonwoo doing their little’s seatbelt with an adorably frustrated huff. 

with mingyu’s seatbelt already done, wonwoo slips into the driver seat, but he doesn’t stick his keys in the ignition yet. mingyu whines softly.

“ah-ah, sprout, let’s be good. you too, petal. i don’t think baba appreciates either of you making a fuss. the park is still going to be there no matter how long we take.”

“‘m sorry,” mingyu apologizes, fiddling with the scales of his stuffed dinosaur. minghao watches him nudge junhui’s foot through the mirror.

“sorry,” junhui echoes. he’s holding the teething ring attached to his matching dinosaur baby blanket up to his lips, deprived of his pacifier for the moment.

minghao sighs. he can’t stay mad at them. he knows they’re just excited to get out of the house as a family for once, something they should really do more often.

minghao is excited, too. for the past week, he’s been shifting between the studio and the house and not much else, and he knows that it must be ten times worse for mingyu who rarely comes out of headspace and can’t even drive when he does.

they need a little excursion, and a picnic at the park is a perfect way to do it. 

they chose saturday morning so that none of them would be busy with work and the weather would be cooler. they can let the littles run around for a few hours and have sandwiches and fruit under a pavilion.

they just have to get there, first.

“it’s okay, boys,” minghao sighs, “let’s just have fun from now on, okay?

wonwoo pulls out of the driveway and drives to the park. he’s got the radio on some random, local pop station with a host too peppy for minghao to understand, but he’s too unbothered to change it to something else and mingyu hums along happily to the songs.

five minutes in, minghao looks at the mirror aimed at the back seat and sees junhui asleep, mouthing absentmindedly at his teething ring. mingyu is still busy grinning at the scenery.

minghao turns to wonwoo. “what took you so long in the back?” he finally asks. he can’t think of a reason why the older would just… stop paying attention to them. 

wonwoo smiles sheepishly, “i was re-folding the picnic blanket.”

“is that all?” minghao laughs. “you’re so cute.”

“shut up,” he mutters, trying to sound tough. minghao can see how red his face is, though. 

(it’s cute of wonwoo to fixate on their blanket just to have things neat like minghao wants them. it’s cuter for him to be embarrassed about it when minghao calls him out for it.)

“park!” mingyu jolts, pointing to the upcoming park entrance.

wonwoo easily drives through the park, looking for an open and unlocked field they can sit in for a while. 

they don’t expect any to be free considering it’s a saturday and a lot of sports happen then, but there is a soccer field with an open gate and no one inside, so it’s perfect.

mingyu, ever obsessed with his soccer ball, is ecstatic to see a  _ real _ goal net. once the trunk is opened, he wastes no time taking his toy and running off towards the field. 

minghao watches him go, fond. at first, he decides to let him be, but then junhui is let out of the car, the toddler follows him without question. that’s when minghao decides to follow.

he ends up standing by the gate, simultaneously watching his boys run after each other and watching wonwoo struggle with carrying two backpacks and a blanket. 

“you didn’t have to leave me to do everything myself,” the older complains as he approaches.

“how else will you build muscle?” minghao counters. he receives no reply.

the two caregivers spread out their picnic blanket on the sideline of the field and wait for their littles to join them once they tire themselves out. most of the field is covered in shade, and because of the cool morning temperatures, it feels nice.

wonwoo is especially susceptible to cold. he’s wearing jeans in the middle of july and even though the weather is chilly at worst, his skin still feels icy when minghao touches his arm. he pities him, just a little, and he doesn’t want wonwoo to feel cold. 

that’s minghao’s excuse for wanting to lean on wonwoo. “you’re freezing,” he mutters absently.

“sorry,” the older replies just as junhui squeals loudly. his thin arm snakes around minghao’s waist.

“don’t be sorry for that,” minghao retorts, offensive. “you don’t have anything to be sorry about.”

mingyu, unable to tell that they are having a romantic and sweet conversation, shouts from where he’s standing in front of the closest goal, “wonu, hao-hao! over here!” 

both look. junhui is sitting in the goal, holding his baby blanket and mingyu’s stuffie, grinning. mingyu has his soccer ball at his feet. minghao fears the worse.

“sprout, don’t kick it while jun is sitting there, you could hit him,” wonwoo shouts back. 

to appease them, junhui stands. he must be a goalie, then. minghao hopes that mingyu teaches him how to kick the ball in the net.

mingyu kicks his ball, which sends it soaring into the net. instead of trying to defend the goal or catch the ball, junhui runs directly away from it, leaving the net wide open for the ball to go in. 

wonwoo and minghao cheer. junhui jumps up and down and claps as well, mingyu smiling shyly at his accomplishment.

the next few hours pass similarly. wonwoo and minghao take turns getting up and playing with their littles, chasing them around and passing the ball back and forth. 

it brings the littles joy, but it also makes minghao happy to get out for a bit. he’s especially happy seeing the never ending smile on mingyu’s face, his expression that much brighter just because he’s somewhere different and spacious.

after some time, though, minghao can tell that lunch time is approaching by how hot it is and how high the sun is getting.

“hungry!” junhui whines and the top of his lungs.

and that, too.

“i’m hungry, too!” wonwoo adds from where he’s sitting on the blanket with their youngest little, swaying back and forth with junhui in his arms. “minghaooo, mingyu, come back!” 

they relent, minghao picking up the soccer ball and convincing mingyu to fold the picnic blanket, which he manages to do clumsily yet effectively.

after switching out their blanket for their cooler of food, the four take a small walk to the picnic pavilions next to the biggest playground. 

junhui plasters himself to minghao’s side once they’re around other people, holding his arm and holding his hand, almost afraid of getting lost and running into a stranger. minghao makes sure that he’s comfortable and never lets go of him.

mingyu picks their table and helps them take out their food, a sandwich for each of them and an abundance of apple slices and grapes. 

junhui tries taking apart his peanut butter and jelly, but minghao stops him before he can make a mess. the toddler also accidentally crushes a grape in his hand, much to mingyu’s amusement. 

by the time lunch is over, junhui’s hands are sticky and mingyu’s are covered in mustard, both undeterred by their mess. 

wonwoo and minghao quickly repack their things and take them to the nearest bathrooms. junhui whines about having his blanket the whole way, but his hands prevent him from getting it— that, and the plethora of strangers and (specifically) middle-aged women who overhear them and send them looks.

one smelly bathroom and two pairs of clean hands later, they’re hiking back to the car, junhui with his blanket in one hand and minghao’s hand in the other. 

mingyu proudly carries their backpack for them, skipping ahead and talking about how they should do this more often; and they should, minghao thinks. 

he’s had fun getting out and about with their boys little, giving them a different space to enjoy themselves. 

this time, getting in the car isn’t as much of a hassle. all wonwoo has to do is drop the cooler back in the trunk and buckle junhui in, fixing mingyu’s seatbelt when he does it incorrectly. 

minghao drives them back home with the radio on, and it’s oddly reminiscent of earlier that morning, mingyu now openly singing to a song he recognizes, junhui nodding off after draining himself from playing, wonwoo glancing in the rearview mirror, gaze dripping with honey.

every time they do this— every time the four of them are together and happy like this— it warms minghao, sends enough courage through him to tug wonwoo aside when they arrive and kiss him on the cheek once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wonhao ;-;
> 
> next: soonyoung's second chapter ;)


	11. little surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> so soonyoung has a big, fat, platonic crush on wonwoo, but what’s new?
> 
> other than the fact that he might be a regressor, too.

soonyoung didn’t think it would be this hard.

he’s been thinking about it for weeks, actually. between his two jobs as a teacher and little babysitter, he’s felt this strange fuzziness that scared him at first but confuses him now, foreign yet familiar.

soonyoung has always enjoyed playing with mingyu and junhui. he loves building spaceships with lego blocks and playing make believe and even watching cartoons, especially the ones aimed at older kids.

initially, he chalked it up to having fun with his role as a caregiver. he didn’t feel young, didn’t… regress in a way that mimicked any of the little’s behaviors. soonyoung just liked the activities, which was perfectly fine. 

but he started to notice a few subtle changes. he never really called himself a caregiver, and the littles (or their caregivers) never thought of him that way. he truly was a babysitter, more of a responsible older sibling than an authoritative figure.

if he could help it, minghao never left junhui alone in soonyoung’s care. it didn’t offend him, though; if he were minghao, he would have done the same. but nevertheless, it said something of his “parenting” and how much he could do for junhui, a considerably more dependent little than mingyu.

is soonyoung a bad babysitter? is he not mature enough for the role? does he not know enough?

he could learn. he can act responsible if the need arises. but he doesn’t want to… that’s so difficult! it’s just not something he can do without getting distracted or frustrated.

it was when he started feeling that way outside of his babysitting calls that soonyoung really began to question himself.

it began with him alone in bed without the warmth of someone else to keep him warm. he was ready to fall asleep with one of his stuffed tigers pressed against his chest, wrapped in his sheets and fluffy blankets, fresh from a shower and drowsy from his exhausting day at work.

as he stroked his tigers fur, he thought about wonwoo and mingyu and the last time he had been to their house. he had spent several hours playing with the little and even taking a nap with him, laying on top of him in his blanket fort and cuddling him so that he would fall asleep faster.

just imagining all that playtime and comfort made him feel more relaxed than it did before. he remembers wonwoo carding his fingers through his hair to set it back in place, thanking him softly again and sending him off with a hug.

soonyoung felt safe just thinking about it. he always felt a little lonely at night in his apartment; he wished he could have wonwoo around to baby him like that again.

the feeling persisted beyond that night, and it has grown exponentially for several days, presenting itself in long hours of spacing out in the living room, playing with a few stuffies and texting wonwoo to pay attention to him; or the times before bed he spends swaddled in his sheets, content with the feeling of soft fabric against his skin.

those times had all been peaceful and calm, but as he waits for wonwoo to arrive at his apartment, soonyoung feels anything but.

he’s never felt so anxious in what he hesitates to call his headspace. whatever it is, it’s usual calm and he indulges himself a little bit.

but today he’s going to tell wonwoo that he thinks he regresses. 

he’s used the excuse of giving back mingyu’s stuffed giraffe so that wonwoo would have a reason to visit soonyoung and give him time to tell him privately. wonwoo text him around twenty minutes ago telling him that he was leaving, so he should be here any second.

soonyoung holds the stuffed animal anxiously as he waits, afraid of wonwoo’s reaction to his suspicion. he doesn’t think it could be anything other than positive, but deep down, he’s afraid of damaging their friendship by trying to make it into something it’s not.

wonwoo is mingyu and junhui’s caregiver, not soonyoung’s. in fact, he probably wouldn’t have time to look after soonyoung unless they had some kind of sleepover or special date. and while they are friends, they’re in their twenties, and wonwoo is basically a family man now.

but what is soonyoung so worried about? it’s just his nonu, his best friend! wonwoo will always understand and support him, even if he isn’t able to help him directly. right?

the doorbell rings. soonyoung leaps from the couch, stumbling to the door of his apartment. he takes a deep breath before opening the door.

wonwoo smiles when he sees soonyoung, his eyes lighting up. “hey, soonie,” he greets him, gentle like usual.

soonyoung echoes back, uncharacteristically soft, “hey.” then, he remembers the main reason why he invited wonwoo over. he holds out the stuffed giraffe in his arms. “this is gyu’s, he left it here a few weeks ago and i found it recently.”

the other doesn’t quite take the toy, “thank you.. didn’t you want to tell me something?”

“oh, uhm…” soonyoung panics. he tugs wonwoo into the house and closes the door, shyly hugging him. “i’m really nervous.”

“i can tell.”

soonyoung squeezes his eyes shut. “it’s just— i don’t want it to ruin anything!” he huffs. “i don’t want you to think i’m trying to change our relationship.”

“uhm,” wonwoo says. he lifts soonyoung’s chin until the shorter is forced to look at him. “soonie, do you have a crush on me or something?”

“ew!” soonyoung pushes wonwoo away at that, holding mingyu’s giraffe to his chest again. “sorry, i love you, but i don’t  _ love you. _ we’re bros.”

wonwoo smiles, “okay, okay. no romantic stuff, then. you don’t have to be afraid to tell me something, soon. i’ll understand.”

biting his lip, soonyoung considers. he’s already made the decision to tell wonwoo what he thinks, and it’s already too late to back out. he’s spent hours rehearsing what to say, but now that he has the opportunity, he doesn’t know how to get the words out.

“ithinkimlikejunhuiandmingyu,” he murmurs against the soft fur of his (mingyu’s) stuffed animal.

wonwoo’s smile doesn’t flicker or fade, and he encourages sweetly, “soon, you’re going to have to speak up.”

“i think— i think i’m like mingyu and junhui.” when he sees the other’s eyes widen in surprise, he rushes to clarify, “but i don’t know! i don't know, and i think i’m different and i don’t know what to do!”

tears well up in soonyoung’s eyes. he feels so  _ frustrated _ because he can’t get his point across fast enough and he’s never been able to talk about this fuzzy feeling in his head before. 

and he just wants wonwoo to understand! his nonu always knows what to do, and if anyone is going to know a lot about headspaces and regression and how to handle them it’s  _ wonwoo. _

but soonyoung doesn’t pick up on the fact that wonwoo already understands. he sees surprise and it registers as fear and rejection. 

“i don’t want you to believe i’ve been irresponsible with your boys or that i’m trying to come between you and them, i just  _ trust you _ and there’s nowhere else i can go with this. you don’t have to help me or take care of me, j—“

“soonie, take a deep breath, okay?” wonwoo says, effectively cutting his friend off to prevent him from working himself into a needless fit. “i’m not disappointed with you.”

soonyoung coughs a little and begins to cry, utterly relieved that wonwoo doesn’t feel negatively about him.

wonwoo brings soonyoung back into a hug, rubbing his back and shushing him softly. “it’s alright, baby, i’m here. take a deep breath with me, okay? here we go.”

they breathe together until soonyoung is calm again, sniffling and bunching up wonwoo’s shirt in his hands, desperate to hold on.

he can feel the fuzzy feelings coming back, but it’s not as much and he’s just  _ tired  _ now. his head hurts and he’s sleepy from all his crying. 

“‘m sorry, nonu,” soonyoung murmurs into wonwoo’s shoulder. he didn’t mean for it to go this way. 

“don’t be, soon, i know it must have been really difficult to tell me that. i understand, okay?” soonyoung nods, happier knowing that his friend wants to help him. “let’s go sit down. we’ll talk some more.”

they end up sitting on soonyoung’s couch. soonyoung curls up against wonwoo, now holding one of his own stuffies instead of mingyu’s. wonwoo brushes back his hair, smiling when soonyoung shifts closer to his touch. 

“you’re really not weirded out?” he asks, just wanting to be sure. 

it makes wonwoo chuckle, “i’ve been changing junhui’s pull-ups for a year now, i can assure you that i’m not worried, baby.”

soonyoung flushes, “okay. you won’t tell them, right? the littles?”

“not unless you tell me to. if it’ll help, i can tell ‘hao for you. he may have some ideas.”

“alright,” soonyoung agrees, not terribly appalled at the idea of minghao knowing he might regress. if anything, wonwoo is right. minghao will come up with a brilliant idea.

“you’re so cute,” wonwoo suddenly coos, tugging soonyoung into his lap. “is this okay?”

“mhm, ‘s alright,” he hums. wonwoo goes back to petting hair. “nonu’s comfy.”

his chest shakes with his laughter, “i am? that’s good to hear.” wonwoo turns and pecks the side of soonyoung’s head. “are you feeling smaller?”

embarrassed, soonyoung hides himself in his friend’s shoulder again. still, he manages a shy, “yeah,” that makes wonwoo coo again.

“y’know, i’ve read some things about older littles. little’s with older headspaces. Sometimes they’re called middles.”

at the idea, soonyoung perks up a little. that sounds like himself! maybe he’s like a middle? “like me?”

“maybe,” wonwoo answers, lifting soonyoung’s head and cupping his face with his hands. “we’ll figure it out, baby.” soonyoung softens under the name he is quickly growing attached to, and he sees wonwoo’s gaze do the same when he thumbs over soonyoung’s cheek. “you look so tired, maybe we should get you in bed.”

even though his eyes droop at the mention of going to sleep, soonyoung shakes his head, not wanting to go to bed and for wonwoo to leave him.

“no? you’re not tired?” wonwoo’s hands in his hair make him even  _ more _ relaxed and sleepy, but he still shakes his head. “you look sleepy to me. c’mon, if you show me your bed, nonu will stay with you the whole time until you go to sleep. deal?”

soonyoung isn’t sure if he wants to agree. he’s a big boy! big boys don’t have to take naps. so, he scowls a little to prove his point, but he just ends up pouting.

“you need to rest,” wonwoo insists. “why don’t you show me your stuffies?”

well, that’s something he can do! his nonu’s never met all of his stuffies before, and he’s never been able to show him this way. one thing he has always wanted out of his headspace is to fall asleep with someone with him. maybe his stuffies will make it easier for him.

slipping off of wonwoo’s lap, soonyoung pads towards his bedroom, waiting in the doorway in the living room for wonwoo to follow him. 

“this is my favorite tiger, hoshi,” soonyoung explains once he’s sitting on his bed. he holds up hoshi, his tiger stuffy, for wonwoo to take.

“he’s very soft,” he notices, holding hoshi gently. he sits on the bed beside soonyoung, adjusting his bunched up blankets until they’re loosely wrapped around him.

sinking into the warmth, soonyoung reaches for a different tiger stuffy, holding him up for wonwoo to see. “this is youngie. i named him after me ‘cause he’s cute!” wonwoo pinched his cheek, agreeing that soonyoung is cute.

“and this kitty is nonie!” he says next, grabbing his cat plushy and giving it to wonwoo, “you have to hold him!”

“okay, i will,” he complies. “i’ll hold onto him tight, alright? even while you go to sleep.”

eventually, wonwoo gets soonyoung to lay down and close his eyes. the last of his energy leaves him, and he doesn’t fight back against the inevitable anymore. he just lets wonwoo coddle him to sleep, just like he’s wanted him to.

“i’m proud of you for telling me, baby. you’re so brave for letting me know.” soonyoung burrows into his blankets. “i’ll see you soon and then we can talk about it some more, okay? we’ll figure it out together.”

soonyoung nods off as wonwoo pets him and speaks to him softly, content that someone knows his secrets and accepts him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a personal/account update:
> 
> i started school online two weeks ago and it really isn’t that fun, but it keeps me busy a lot. i have a lot of things to do so that gets stressful sometimes, but i’m taking time for myself and that includes taking time to write a little.
> 
> i’m staying safe and healthy as much as i can ! everyone remember to get a healthy amount of sleep, stay hydrated, and eat your meals!! wear a mask when you go out!
> 
> as for my priorities for petitseok: next updates (whenever that may be) will be this fic (mostly requests) and the next chapter for starlord (which will be quite long i think)
> 
> ok that’s it!! y’all are lovely and i appreciate everything ^-^ 💛


	12. gimme love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> request time! here's oddcherry's suggestion of wonwoo needed to take a break from work with the help of his littles ;)  
> i don't have much to say this time but i hope you are all staying safe and healthy. this is your friendly reminder to drink water today!

it starts when wonwoo texts minghao saying that he has to stay late for work.

explaining to the littles why wonwoo is absent is not as smooth as he thought it would be, either. after hearing it’s work-related, mingyu understands, even if he seems a little dejected. it takes another few minutes of explaining that their daddy is just too busy with work to make it before junhui understands.

“when daddy coming?” he pouts, trying to get another spoonful of food into his mouth.

before minghao can tell him that he doesn’t know, mingyu says, “he’ll be home before bedtime. he’s _always_ home before bedtime.”

a deadline of the littles' bedtime gives wonwoo nearly three hours to get home. and while minghao would never expect wonwoo to come home past nine-thirty, it’s still a pleasant surprise when he comes home just as minghao is bathing junhui.

mingyu’s delighted scream of “daddy!” can be heard from upstairs where minghao is, and upon hearing it, junhui screeches the same. he bounces in place, which disturbs the water so that it almost overflows the tub.

minghao just shakes his head as he squirts shampoo into junhui’s hair. said little continues to squirm impatiently, calling out to wonwoo again until he gets an answer, “daddy! daddy!”

more thudding and the creaking of the stairs leads to the bathroom door opening slowly. wonwoo steps inside carefully, noticeably keeping mingyu from entering behind him to give them a little bit of privacy.

“hey, petal,” wonwoo calls gently. his voice has always been a bit gentle, but it seems particularly weak, exhausted from all the work he’s done. “you getting your bath with baba?”

“yeah!” junhui confirms. “daddy late!”

“i know, i’m sorry if i worried you. daddy just had extra stuff to do at work. i’ll be home on time tomorrow, okay? promise.”

after wonwoo kisses junhui on the forehead, he slips out of the bathroom, promising minghao with a tight smile to shower with mingyu and get him ready for bed.

minghao finishes bathing their little and dresses him up for bed, helping him brush his teeth and everything. once he’s ready, junhui decides that he wants to sleep with wonwoo in their room instead of with mingyu.

junhui clings to wonwoo, whimpering about how much he misses his daddy as the caregiver hums a lullaby to get him to sleep. 

minghao leaves them to slip into bed with mingyu, the older little already half-asleep by the time he does.

it isn’t until morning that minghao gets to ask wonwoo about it, pushing a cup of milk tea into his hands and cupping his face. “everything okay at work?”

although wonwoo nods, there’s an extra layer of exhaustion to it. “yeah, i’ve just got a little extra, is all. it’ll be done by the end of the week.”

minghao lets him go reluctantly, wishing wonwoo could have unconventional hours like the rest of them and that he could spend more time with them. without any classes to teach, minghao spends the day looking after mingyu and junhui again. 

for lunch, minghao takes the littles to café carat for the first time, and jeonghan coos at them the entire time. he pays special attention to mingyu, who is shy when meeting him for the first time but quickly opens up once jeonghan starts speaking to him softly, thin pieces of hair falling from his bun and framing the sides of his face.

wonwoo comes home at his regular time, just like he promised. minghao has dinner waiting for him when he does, and the four of them eat together, talking mostly about the café and their schedules for the rest of the week.

when dinner is over, though, wonwoo disappears into the living room, declining his littles’ offers to play with them upstairs. minghao starts to worry, and once the kitchen is clean, he checks up on him.

only the lamp is on, the room illuminated by its soft yellow glow. wonwoo sits at the coffee table, the screen of his laptop reflected in his glasses. he’s typing away at something. working.

it takes a full minute for the older to notice minghao lingering by the entryway, and when he does, he looks guilty, like he’s been caught doing something wrong. “hey, did you need something?”

minghao crosses the room to sit next to wonwoo. he lays his head on his shoulder and wraps an arm around his thigh to keep him close. “you’re still working?” he murmurs. minghao tries not to sound frustrated.

wonwoo hums. “unfortunately,” he jokes, but the humor dies when he sees that minghao doesn’t find it amusing. 

“you’ll help me get them to bed, right? and then you’ll sleep too,” he asks softly, trying to make sure that wonwoo doesn’t overwork himself.

it seems that wonwoo understands that. “i promise i will,” he says. “i just— right now i need to do this.”

something in minghao wants to protest, but wonwoo’s work must be important and he doesn’t want to bother him. he’s about to make up an excuse to leave him be, but then junhui screams for him somewhere else in the house and he doesn’t need to anymore.

wonwoo slips into bed that night after the littles are asleep. minghao is nearly drifting off himself when wonwoo snuggles up to him quietly, one arm draping over his waist. 

they don’t talk about wonwoo’s work or the anxious air that lingers over them. minghao just holds him as close as he can until his breaths even out and he falls asleep.

the next day goes the same. wonwoo wakes up even earlier than usual and almost doesn’t make it home on time, still staying up in the living room to catch up on work before tucking in the littles and crawling into bed with minghao, instantly falling asleep once his head hits the pillow.

minghao hates to see him this way. wonwoo is never one to put his work before his family, but he’s always been easy to push extra assignments onto. minghao knows he can’t refuse it.

he decides that the next day will be different. 

wonwoo wakes up on time and minghao sends him off to work with a kiss on the cheek, shoving him out the door. he takes junhui and mingyu with him to the studio while he teaches a few classes, and on the way home, he suggests a plan.

“you know how daddy’s been busy, right?” he asks, checking on the boys in the mirror.

junhui looks a little sad at the mention of it, but he hums anyway. mingyu nods, too, “yeah, he’s got a bunch of work…”

“well, why don’t we try to have a fun night with daddy? i think he’ll have less work today and if we’re nice we can get him to watch a movie with us. does that sound fun?”

“snacks?” junhui suggests.

“we can make _popcorn!”_ mingyu gasps, suddenly enthralled with the idea. “and we can watch _ponyo!_ daddy _loves_ watching _ponyo!”_

snacks will definitely sweeten the deal for everyone, so he agrees with mingyu and promises to make popcorn for their movie.

they get home and set up the living room. minghao puts in the movie while mingyu and junhui take blankets from their playroom and spread them out across the couch and floor, creating a cozy sleepover space sure to entice anyone into watching a movie with them.

minghao and mingyu make dinner together and wonwoo comes home in the middle of it, greeting them each with brief forehead kisses as he rushes to put his things away. 

wonwoo compliments the food and looks happy to be eating, but the meal isn’t enough for the tension to melt from his shoulders. as they’re cleaning up, minghao asks him if he has more work to do.

“just a little,” he answers. “i can probably get it done tomorrow, but i would rather get ahead tonight.”

minghao just hums, catching the littles’ eyes when wonwoo isn’t looking and signaling them to be quiet about their surprise.

wonwoo announces that he’s going to work, and he moves into the living room with his work bag. the rest of them watch from the kitchen as he settles at the table like usual, throwing a second glance at all the blankets thrown around the room. 

“why are the blankets out?” he calls.

“no reason,” minghao answers. he isn’t surprised when the older brushes it off; their littles like their comfort and this isn’t the first time they’ve made the living room like this. 

after a few minutes, junhui looks at minghao hopefully, and the caregiver sends him off.

junhui pads into the living room, going to wonwoo without hesitation and climbing into his lap. the caregiver startles, freezing as jun situates himself by pressing their chests together, hiding his face in his shoulder and wrapping his arms around his middle.

“hey, petal,” minghao finally hears wonwoo say. “you need something?”

junhui whines, “i miss daddy.”

"oh, sweetheart, i'm sorry. daddy's been busy lately.”

another whine can be heard from the kitchen. junhui sounds like he's going to cry, "wanna play with daddy."

while junhui butters wonwoo up, minghao gets out a bag of popcorn— as promised to the two littles— and sticks it in the microwave. he nods to mingyu, and the oldest little gets up and skips into the living room, too.

"daddy! baba said we can watch _ponyo!_ can you watch it with us, pretty please?" mingyu begs, already sitting on the couch with the remote.

"i wanna watch _pon'o_ with daddy!" junhui adds.

by the time minghao walks in with a bowl of popcorn, wonwoo is sitting on the couch with a blanket around his shoulders, his arms wrapped around junhui’s small waist and his chin hooked over his shoulder, the little leaning on his chest contently. junhui’s got a blanket over his lap and his pacifier in his mouth.

mingyu’s on the floor gathering stuffed animals in his arms to sit with them, digging through the blankets as if he’s lost one. minghao sits down next to wonwoo just as he finds it. 

wonwoo turns and smiles at minghao shyly. “uhm, do you want to watch, too?” he picks up the remote, pointing it at the tv which has been turned on, already showing the menu screen of the dvd.

“it was my idea, silly,” minghao chuckles. “i’m just glad you decided to join.”

he wants to kiss him, assure him he doesn’t have to stress so much tonight, but he settles on ruffling his and junhui’s hair fondly.

“i’m sitting here!” mingyu declares. he promptly plants his butt between his caregivers, most of his body falling into minghao’s lap, his long legs barely missing the bowl of popcorn.

“sprout,” wonwoo groans under the added weight, “what are you—“

“here, daddy! you can have this one.”

mingyu starts handing out stuffed animals for them to hold, cramming a white cat into the space between wonwoo’s arm and junhui’s side. junhui is granted his lamb stuffie, and minghao is given mingyu’s stuffed turtle. mingyu himself is holding his dinosaur stuffie.

“can we watch now?” he says next, apparently in charge of movie night. minghao wouldn’t be surprised if mingyu talked through the whole movie.

but, of course, wonwoo indulges him and presses play.

they watch the movie together, passing around the popcorn bowl (mingyu eats most of it) and settling down as it goes on. they remain in their cuddle pile even after minghao’s leg goes numb and junhui falls asleep on wonwoo, nearly drooling on the caregiver’s shirt.

and it’s sweet, the way wonwoo looks at junhui with so much love in his eyes, pulling his blanket over his chest and kissing him on the cheek goodnight.

it’s even sweeter when wonwoo falls asleep on junhui not twenty minutes later, the movie still going and mingyu and minghao still wide awake. the two remain huddled against each other, knocked out and blissfully unaware of everything else.

minghao’s happy to see wonwoo relaxing and getting the rest he needs. he always works so hard for them, this week being no exception, and he deserves the same love and care that the rest of them do.

by the time _ponyo_ ends, mingyu’s eyes are drooping and his body is heavy with sleep. minghao nudges him up, shushing his whines by telling him that they’re going to bed. 

minghao wakes wonwoo gently, the older groggily opening up his eyes. once the realizes what’s happening, flushing pink with the embarrassment of falling asleep accidentally, he gets minghao carry junhui upstairs (with difficulty, he might add.) 

wonwoo drags mingyu up with him, and they all find themselves in the caregivers’ bedroom.

the bed isn’t really big enough for the four of them, but with junhui laying most of his body on minghao and wonwoo throwing his leg over mingyu’s, it works. 

minghao lies awake for a few minutes longer, feeling _warm_ all over. it helps that he has three other people around him, but it’s more than that. he feels happy.

one hand curled around junhui strokes the little’s hair while the other stretches out to hold wonwoo’s hand, pressing shapes into his skin absentmindedly.

quiet shuffling draws minghao’s attention away from looking at the ceiling. wonwoo looks up at him sleepily and squeezes his hand in return.

_‘thank you’_ he mouths. 

minghao knows it wasn’t much, but for wonwoo to be content— that’s all he’ll ever need.


	13. right on target

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a little bit of a sweet filler ! minwonhui go to target together for a Fun Family Outing ; ) without minghao around, wonwoo's wallet will never be safe.
> 
> stay safe and hydrated folks 💛 love youu
> 
> mingyu: 5-6; sprout  
> junhui: big  
> wonwoo (daddy)

“i can’t believe i’m doing this with you,” junhui sighs as he puts wonwoo’s car in park, looking towards the passenger seat with a hopeless look on his face.

wonwoo just pouts at junhui, “you know i’m too tired to drive right now! and i just want to look at some stuff at the store.”

and junhui can’t fault him for those things, but it’s rather late— they’ve already had dinner and minghao has left for one of his rare night classes— and as junhui feels a dull thump against the back of his seat, he’s afraid minghao will be cross at them for going out.

“did we really have to bring the baby, though?” he whispers, gesturing towards mingyu sitting in the back, currently swinging his legs and kicking junhui’s seat.

“did you want to leave him alone?” the caregiver fires back. “we’re having a fun outing together, enjoy it!”

“alright,” he relents. junhui steps out of the car with wonwoo, opening mingyu’s door and wrestling the little out of his seat.

“daddy!” he cries very loudly, skipping around the car and hugging on wonwoo’s arm. “can we go to the toy section? pleeeaase? i wanna look at the legos and stuffies!”

wonwoo smiles and kisses the side of his little’s head fondly, “of course, baby.”

at first, junhui feels jealous that mingyu didn’t give him attention, but those feelings quickly go away when mingyu rushes forward without wonwoo, takes junhui by the hand, and pulls him towards the retail store.

once the two of them safely cross the parking lot, junhui makes mingyu stand and wait for wonwoo to join them. he swings their joined hands back and forth happily.

“you remember your rules for going out, baby?” he asks mingyu while they wait.

“mhm,” mingyu nods. “only call you junnie and only call daddy wonwoo. and we gotta hold hands! so you don’t get lost.”

wonwoo steps onto the sidewalk, motioning for the two of them to follow him. mingyu pulls junhui forward before he can correct him on his reasoning, so he just lets it go.

junhui ends up taking the lead when they enter the store, holding wonwoo’s hand as wonwoo holds mingyu’s. since they don’t have a specific reason for being there, they just walk aimlessly down the aisles until they find something interesting.

they get to the office supplies first, and wonwoo pauses long enough for the others to push him closer. mingyu doesn’t hesitate to reach for the notebooks, opening them up and looking inside even though they're all blank.

“maybe i should get some pens for work?” wonwoo wonders aloud.

"hmm, maybe you should," junhui hums absently, distracted by mingyu. truthfully, he has no idea how many pens wonwoo has or if he needs any more. he thinks that a few extra never hurt, though.

wonwoo ends up picking a pack of black pens for himself, looking pleased with his decision to get something for himself.

"wonu, can i get a notebook?" mingyu asks, now sitting on the floor and thumbing through an expensive looking journal.

"what would you do with it?" the caregiver asks in return.

it's a valid question, junhui thinks. when little, mingyu isn't really one for writing— not to mention the fact that his already horrendous handwriting gets significantly worse— and he doesn't come out of headspace enough for him to make use of it.

it's also probably something to do with teaching mingyu about making decisions about buying things or... well, junhui doesn't know.

"i can draw in it!" mingyu says, showing wonwoo the blank pages.

junhui sees the caregiver smile. "sprout, it's for writing. why don't we look for some drawing pads instead?"

"c'mon," junhui adds, helping mingyu up, "i think i saw craft supplies in the next aisle."

the next aisle over is full of any number of crayons, colored pencils, and markers. there are tons of craft supplies, too, like popsicle sticks, glitter, and paint. wonwoo finds a stack of art pads and finds a size slightly bigger than regular printer paper.

"woah!" mingyu gasps, quite enthralled with it. "there's no lines! and they're all stuck together like a notebook! can i please have one? please?"

wonwoo chuckles at his excitement, "of course. do you think you can share with junnie when he wants to color?"

junhui had been looking at the paints, but he looks over when his name is mentioned. mingyu hesitates, looking between his caregiver and the other little, before nodding confidently. "junnie can color, too."

"i think we should get some paint, gyu," junhui adds. "what do you think?"

wonwoo shoots him a look that says _'please don't give him any ideas'_ but junhui ignores it because he likes the idea of painting the next time he regresses. mingyu would probably enjoy it, too.

said little hums, clutching his new drawing pad to his chest. "i like painting," he admits quietly.

"it's settled, then." junhui picks a box of finger paint. he's going to have so much fun with this.

"why do i have a bad feeling about this?" wonwoo sighs. still, he doesn't stop junhui from carrying the paint with them as they walk to a different section of the store.

wonwoo almost buys a book, but he decides against it when junhui reminds him about the ones he still has waiting for him to read, and mingyu doesn't let them linger for long, anyway, complaining about how boring books are.

"toys? can we _please_ go see the toys now?" mingyu pleads. he hangs off of wonwoo's arm and pouts at him while they wait for junhui to stop flipping through a graphic novel. junhui isn't paying that close attention to the book; he finds mingyu cute when he uses his cuteness to get what he wants.

he casually sets the book back on the shelf, smiling when wonwoo sighs in relief.

"come on, then, sprout," he relents. mingyu cheers quietly and begins pulling his caregiver to the back of the store where he knows the toy section is. junhui follows.

"look, look!" mingyu gasps. he lets go of wonwoo and rushes towards a shelf of stuffed animals, picking up a round dinosaur pillow and squishing it in his arms. "it's a dino! he's so soft~" he twists his body back a forth as he hugs it tightly, grinning as junhui and wonwoo approach. "da— won, he's so soft! hug him."

wonwoo doesn't have time to protest before the stuffed animal is pushed into his arms. he squeezes it just like he was instructed, and he lets out a soft sound of surprise at how soft it is. "junhui, squeeze him!"

"i— okay." junhui hugs the dinosaur and— wow, he can get used to this. it's perfectly squishy and soft, and junhui just wants to burrow his face into it and fall asleep. "oh, this is nice."

"can we get him?" mingyu requests. maybe it's because he hasn't taken little mingyu shopping very much while big, but junhui is starting to see why minghao calls him spoiled. if minghao were here, he'd convince all three of them that they could live without the soft plush.

but minghao isn't here, and wonwoo is the caregiver in charge. of course, junhui is also an adult who gets a say, but it's not like he's the one with all the money to spend. he sees the rationality in saving money, but he squeezes the dinosaur again and he thinks, _well, i bet one more pillow could never hurt._

wonwoo looks at junhui with a pleading look that almost rivals mingyu's. junhui is baffled that the caregiver was begging him for it when _he_ was the one who was going to pay for it.

"why are you looking at me like that? _i'm_ not going to pay for it."

"ugh, give me that, smart ass."

mingyu hits wonwoo's arm, "potty word! that's mean! i'm gonna tell on you!"

"nooo, please don't," wonwoo groans. he grabs mingyu's arms and lowers his voice conspiratorially, "if daddy buys you the stuffie, you won't tell baba, right?"

the little grins slyly, "really? okay, i won't."

"you're too easily bought!" junhui intervenes, grinning at the two of them, "ask for more, sprout."

mingyu's mouth falls open, "i can get more? wonwoo, wonu, can i—"

"no, no, no more. just the stuffie, take it or leave it. junnie's just being silly."

mingyu pouts, but he takes the stuffie from junhui's arms and holds it to his chest along with his new drawing pad. "wan' stuffie."

the three marvel at the stuffed animals without further incident, although wonwoo tries to tempt junhui with a tinkling plush baby block that he hastily refuses on the basis that minghao would go insane if wonwoo got him attached to a new noise-making toy.

mingyu leads them to the aisle full of lego sets, and the little spends a couple of minutes marveling at the big— and expensive— kits. he babbles about the characters he sees included in each box or the cool things he would do with it.

he only has one or two actual sets at home, and they're the small ones that only come with one figure. he adores them and never lets junhui play with them while in headspace because he doesn't want the younger little to break it.

besides his sets, though, he has a few buckets worth of random blocks that he enjoys fiddling with in and out of headspace. it's one of his favorite activities other than coloring.

(junhui doesn't see the fun in it. he's not allowed to play with the small blocks anyway because they pose a choking hazard to his little toddler brain, so he only knows how to make colorful walls out of the clunky mega bloks wonwoo gifted him out of sympathy.)

naturally, after spending time in the toy section, mingyu tires himself out, and they have to call it a night.

wonwoo takes them through self check-out and mingyu insists on holding the shopping back with his paper pad (and wonwoo's pens) in it while his caregiver carries the stuffed animal. junhui holds his hand while they cross the parking lot again, making sure he doesn't step in front of any cars.

junhui buckles mingyu in and ruffles his hair. at first, he refuses to give up his shopping bag, but wonwoo eventually trades with him, and mingyu relaxes while burrowing into his new soft dinosaur.

on the car ride back, mingyu spends the first bit talking about how he wants to draw in his pad as soon as they got home, but he quickly falls asleep right after that, slumped over in his seat and snoring adorably.

wonwoo nearly falls asleep, too, but junhui stops in the driveway of their house and he promptly jolts awake.

(needless to say, minghao groans when he sees what they bought, but it isn't as if he can do anything about it, so he simply tucks away the drawing pad and paint with their other craft supplies and adjusts the stuffed animal pillow under mingyu's head when he goes to bed that night.)


	14. anxie(tea)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here’s some jihan action in the form of a nice wonhui filler ! it’s kind of hard to have them be super involved, but i think i have them enough time with junnie. 
> 
> for the sensitive folks, there’s some light talk about anxiety in the beginning, but not much that actually happens with it.
> 
> lots of developments for our quartet coming soon! for a long update from me, check out the end notes before you go !
> 
> junhui: 3-4; petal, angel, junbug  
> wonwoo (daddy)  
> unedited

wonwoo is used to mingyu’s headspace. he knows the patterns, recognizes mingyu’s needs and knows how to meet them. it’s an old rhythm that beats in time with his heart.

junhui is different from mingyu, though. his rhythm still stutters and beats off time from wonwoo’s routine. he goes in an out of headspace, giving himself several days where he takes a break to work and sort through his adult responsibilities before delving back into comfort.

it gives him more control over himself. he described it to wonwoo once like wading in the ocean. the waves come and go predictably, and although they jostle him, he never goes under.

mingyu has never had the luxury of control. as long as wonwoo has known him— since the younger’s freshman year of college before he dropped out— he has always been easily susceptible to panic attacks that often left him drowning.

he spent as much time as he could big until his attacks became more frequent and— after awhile— he ended up spending weeks at a time in headspace, only to come out for a few days, a whole week if he was up for it.

(but they’ve been working on it. mingyu has resources and he has wonwoo. before they moved, they decided that the next time he was little, he would use that time to get used to the house, and then he would do the same by staying big for as long as he could. they’re working on it. mingyu’s working on it. wonwoo couldn’t be more proud of the progress he’s made.)

since junhui has a hold over his headspace, wonwoo has to make sure he isn’t overstepping when he’s big. he doesn’t want to baby junhui too much when he’s big in case it makes him feel pressured to slip again.

so, wonwoo generally lets him do his own thing. he still loves junhui with his whole heart and gives him lots of affection, but he lets him get ready by himself and drive himself to work; things either wonwoo or minghao would do for him while he was in headspace.

however, things still happen.

an unexpected anxiety attack sends junhui spiraling back into his headspace one saturday morning while mingyu and minghao are both at the dance studio.

wonwoo doesn’t see it coming. at first, the little seems fine as they eat breakfast, but he starts to notice how quiet junhui is and how he eats less than usual. it reminds him too much of mingyu when he’s sad for him to brush it off as being tired.

“petal, you okay?” he checks after putting away their dishes. he stands next to junhui’s chair and watches as the boy snaps out of his quiet reverie.

junhui doesn’t answer properly at first. he only hums vaguely and leans towards wonwoo, his head resting on his stomach.

trying to coax an answer out of him, wonwoo pets his hair. after a few moments, he kneels down and cups his face.

“hey, you can tell me if somethings wrong, okay? you don’t have to but i’m here. i want to help, petal.”

junhui frowns and looks down, reaching for wonwoo’s other hand. he plays with his fingers before murmuring, “scary.”

“scary? you feeling anxious, baby?”

junhui nods. he makes grabby-hands for wonwoo until the caregiver lets him hug him and tuck his face into his neck.

“daddy gonna leave?” he whimpers, and oh, he’s slipped. wonwoo wants to tear up, he feels so sorry for him. he never wants junhui to be anxious like this.

“no, no, no, kitten,” he rushes out. “daddy’s not gonna leave. it’s you and me today, so i’m not going anywhere.”

“okay,” junhui whispers “daddy play?”

wonwoo’s immediate reaction is to say yes because, well, of course he wants to play with his little petal. but then he thinks about how much junhui actually ate for breakfast and how he doesn’t get to do a lot of things with his day now that he’s little. he gets an idea.

“i have an idea, baby, wanna hear it?”

junhui nods.

“how about we go to the café? jeonghannie will probably be there and daddy can get you some yummy food in your tummy.” he pokes junhui’s stomach for emphasis, and the little giggles at the ticklish feeling. “think about all the treats there that baba won’t let us have!”

“treat!” he chirps, a faint smile lighting up his face.

wonwoo thinks he’s building a reputation as the “fun” parent but only because minghao is so bad at making a good case for himself. and it’s not that minghao is bad at caring for their littles or making them happy, it’s just that he’s pretentious when it comes to sweets and rations them carefully.

wonwoo is fun, though. he likes milk tea and ice cream and pastries, and he can’t say no to his adorable little boys. does it make him soft? yes. does he regret that? not as much as he should.

it’s this promise of a treat that encourages junhui to get ready to go out. wonwoo helps him into a clean shirt and pair of pants, barely able to tack one of his cat clips into his hair before the little is whining to leave.

they arrive at café carat between the breakfast and lunch rushes. joshua is behind the counter when they enter, and he smiles when he notices the way junhui hangs of wonwoo’s arm, a little shy even though he knows him already.

“is that a little junbug i see?” joshua gasps. “didn’t expect to see you guys today.”

“we’re here for brunch,” wonwoo explains cheerily, already looking over the delicious pastries in the glass case.

“do you want me to tell jeonghan you guys are here? i can take your order afterwards.”

junhui lifts his head, “hannie?”

joshua smiles along with wonwoo at junhui’s wide, adorable eyes. the caregiver easily agrees, “that sounds great, thank you.” joshua steps into the back and leaves the two of them to pick what they want to order. “what do you want to eat, junnie?”

junhui considers the pastry case for a moment before pointing at a tray of muffins. it takes a few more questions before wonwoo gets his full order: a chocolate chip muffin and iced green tea.

just as wonwoo is picking what he wants for himself, jeonghan comes skipping out of the back room, joshua just behind him.

the café owner's eyes light up at the sight of them, but wonwoo notices that he is particularly drawn to junhui. "is that my little angel?" he gasps, mirroring joshua's previous surprise. he stretches his arms out and makes grabby-hands childishly for junhui to come closer. "come give hannie a hug."

junhui giggles and detaches from wonwoo, letting jeonghan envelope him in his arms. the long-haired man makes all kinds of cooing noises at the little, squishing his cheeks and telling him how much he missed him since he saw him only a couple of days ago.

in the meantime, joshua rings wonwoo up. he gestures for him to sit while he puts together their order. 

wonwoo ends up sitting in a booth across from jeonghan and junhui, watching fondly as junhui nuzzles into his friend’s arm like a little kitten. jeonghan smiles at the action too, but he keeps part of his attention on wonwoo as well.

the café owner seems to be doing well. although junhui talks about him a lot and wonwoo has come to the café before, if only to pick up junhui, wonwoo only talked to jeonghan one other time, and it was hardly long enough for him to consider it a proper conversation.

jeonghan’s hair is longer than wonwoo thought. he has half of it up, the rest of it falling over his shoulders and past his collarbones. he’s wearing a polo shirt and apron, perfect for working the counter should he need to.

“what finally brings you here? wonwoo, right?” jeonghan asks, leaning forward and resting his chin on his palm.

“yeah. jun and i are out for some brunch. today was supposed to be a ‘big’ day, but…”

“i can see that clearly isn’t the case,” jeonghan finishes.

hums. he doesn’t expand much further than that because he doesn’t want to reveal his partner’s struggles without his permission. that would just be terrible if him.

“well, i think it’s nice that you came to see us!” jeonghan continues. “i haven’t seen junhui little that much and he’s just the  _ cutest thing, yes he is! _ besides, it was getting slow around here and i haven’t been able to introduce myself properly to you.”

“well, i haven’t either,” wonwoo chuckles in agreement. “but i wouldn’t be surprised if you already knew everything about me just based on what jun says.”

jeonghan waves it off, “nonsense. that wouldn’t make you not worth meeting. so, uh— hi, i’m jeonghan yoon, a small business owner and junhui’s friend since he was just a little baby out of high school.” he sticks out his free hand for wonwoo to shake.

wonwoo can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of jeonghan’s phrasing, and they shake hands, “i’m wonwoo jeon. i’ve been living with junhui for a few months and we’ve been friends for a couple of years. it’s kind of weird, we met through our boyfriends.”

junhui— who had apparently been listening the whole time— perks up, “soons?”

“oh, yeah. my friend, soon, set us up? i guess that's the right way to put it.”

jeonghan’s smile looks unsettlingly mischievous when he asks, “so, are you all dating each other now?”

at the thought of minghao (of dating minghao, kissing minghao, kissing  _ junhui, _ oh god), wonwoo flushes beet red, cheeks flaming with embarrassment. it’s not that they’ve agreed  _ not _ to, it’s just that none of them have, you know,  _ had that talk. _

needless to say, wonwoo is not looking forward to the day they do.

so for now, the question leaves him sputtering for an excuse, “uhm, well, not ex—”

“muppin!”

“angel, it’s mu _ ffin.” _

joshua approaches their table with a tray. he sets down junhui’s muffin and wonwoo’s scone along with their drinks. wonwoo quickly takes a long sip of his sweet tea to cool off, still quite embarrassed by his own thoughts. 

before joshua leaves them alone, jeonghan gets up and urges joshua to stay, “i’ll take over the counter, shua, come meet our little junnie!”

at first, joshua is hesitant to leave his shift to visit with junhui. he stutters his way into agreeance, jeonghan pushing him down into the seat when junhui starts to whine.

he seems a little inexperienced, but it’s obvious to wonwoo how much he cares about junhui as he smiles gently at the little. the younger smiles in return. 

when joshua doesn’t lead a conversation, wonwoo prompts junhui to speak up, “what do we say to new friends, petal?”

“hi,” junhui chirps. “josh?” 

“that’s right!” the older says, “that’s me.” he sticks out his hand and junhui laces their fingers together.

both are— relatively— quiet people, hesitant on what to say around new people, but it isn’t long before junhui is smiling again, giggling a little with everything joshua says.

although no new customers come into the store, jeonghan stands behind the counter as promised to uphold their standards of professionalism.

the café owner still glances at their table, often meeting wonwoo’s eyes with a smile that says jeonghan knows something he did not.

“daddy, can i eat now?”

wonwoo looks at junhui again. the little’s muffin is sitting right in front of him, but all he’s doing is drinking from his cup. 

_ and _ he called wonwoo ‘daddy.’ 

seeing as junhui’s already had an anxious day, though, wonwoo ignores the small infraction. 

“petal, of course you can. just tear it apart so it’s easier to eat, okay?”

junhui blinks. 

“here, like this,” joshua says. he takes junhui’s muffin and breaks off a small piece from the top. 

junhui grins. he lets joshua feed him the muffin piece before doing it himself, glancing at wonwoo with a proud look every now and then. 

“is it good?” wonwoo asks. 

“‘uper yummy!” junhui responds with his mouth half full. 

joshua chides him for speaking with food in his mouth, and wonwoo smiles fondly as junhui whines, kicking his feet in protest. even when he’s acting bratty, junhui is still adorable. 

as junhui continues to eat, joshua talks to him and asks him questions about wonwoo and minghao and what he wants to do today. 

wonwoo leaves them be, junhui’s grin unfaltering against joshua’s soft voice and expressive interest. he takes to him as quickly as he did jeonghan, playing with his hand as he talks shyly.

“is minghao at work?”

it isn’t until jeonghan speaks from wonwoo’s right that he realizes he’s staring at junhui. wonwoo quickly averts his eyes. 

“oh, yeah, he took mingyu with him,” he answers. “he’s substituting for someone today.”

jeonghan leans against wonwoo’s side of the booth. wonwoo looks up and sees that he’s still smiling in that weird way from earlier. 

after another minute, the café owner speaks again, “you know, i asked minghao the same question.”

_ oh, god. _ the question about them dating. he almost wishes he hadn’t brought it up again. he’s already been in denial for so long. 

“o-oh,” wonwoo croaks. “what did he say?”

jeonghan’s hand lands on his shoulder, gentle and firm, “i think you should tell him, wonwoo.”

maybe jeonghan is just really good at reading people and that’s why he’s targeting wonwoo like this. maybe he’s noticed something in minghao that wonwoo hasn’t and he’s right about telling—  _ confessing— _ to him.

they  _ really  _ need to have a talk. 

wonwoo frowns to himself. jeonghan leaves them again with a gentle pat on winwoo’s back and a flying kiss sent towards junhui.

wonwoo comes to the conclusion that he shouldn’t wait any longer. as soon as mingyu comes out of headspace, as soon as wonwoo can talk to him and minghao and junhui freely, they’re going to work out their relationships. 

“is that a kitty clip?” joshua murmurs, plucking at junhui’s hair.

“‘s my favorite!” the little giggles.

“it’s very pretty, junbug!” 

jeonghan and joshua spoil junhui with attention for some more time. when wonwoo decides that it’s time to leave, he has to coax junhui out of jeonghan’s arms with the promise of his toys at home, and even then the little’s frown is  _ so _ tempting to give into.

on the way back to the car, junhui thanks wonwoo for taking him out. as wonwoo buckles seatbelt, junhui grabs his attention with a soft, “daddy.” wonwoo hums to let him know he’s listening, and he continues, “i love you.”

it makes him hesitate because it isn’t often that junhui says that to wonwoo. but really, there’s no other option or way around it.

before he closes the car door, wonwoo hugs junhui and presses a kiss to his forehead. 

“i love you too, petal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first, next planned updates:  
> 1\. this fic, continuing requests  
> 2\. final chapter of _baby_  
>  3\. next _starlord_ update (shorter!!)
> 
> second, a message from me:  
> i don’t know how many people who read are americans like me, but i’ll put it out here anyway. the upcoming election (tomorrow, as i post this) is extremely important and so many things are at stake. 
> 
> it’s stressful enough as someone who can’t even vote yet, so i wanted to post before nov. 3rd to have something nice for people to enjoy while we hold our breathe in anticipation. 
> 
> it would also give me the opportunity to advertise that if anyone needs an extra boost or just a plain distraction, you can come find me at a tumblr sideblog (petitseoks) i made awhile back. it’s currently empty and i quietly slipped it into my ao3 about page after i made it. so if you would ever like to say hello or throw me an anon ask, that’s where!
> 
> enough of me. take care of yourselves, folks! stay safe, wash your hands, and drink water. (and if you haven’t, vote!) love you <3


	15. big boys (1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the moment we've all been waiting for ! i had to cut myself off before it got Too long so there will be more than one piece to this chapter.
> 
> things are getting busy with finals, so updates will be slow! stay safe, everyone; drink water, eat your meals, and look after yourself <3 (and stay at home if you can!!)

this ceiling is not familiar. 

mingyu is laying on a couch. he’s wrapped in several blankets and his long legs are bent so that he fits, his face buried into the cushions. he’s wearing shorts, too, something he never does when at wonwoo’s apartment.

not to mention that this ceiling definitely does not belong to wonwoo.

it’s weirdly reminiscent of the time they fell asleep on his couch together after watching a movie one night. wonwoo hadn’t wanted to wake mingyu, so they spent the whole night cramped together, tangled in their blankets and each other.

but wonwoo isn’t here. 

mingyu sits up blearly, looking around and wrapping his blankets tighter around himself. he  _ knows  _ he’s just slipped out of littlespace. if his outfit doesn’t give it away, the toy cars all over the floor and the colorful drawings on a nearby coffee table do.

this definitely wasn’t planned. confused, mingyu tries to slip back into headspace again,  but something in his brain is broken and it’s just  _ not happening. _ he  _ can’t. _

frustration bubbles in his chest. he doesn’t know why it’s not working. he doesn’t know where he is. he doesn’t know where  _ wonwoo _ is.

wonwoo has always been there to ease him into and out of headspace. why isn’t he here now? 

even if he doesn’t recognize his surroundings that well, mingyu can see wonwoo’s pens and work notebook among the art supplies on the coffee table and the framed picture of him and soonyoung is sitting under the television, so he must be nearby.

mingyu turns. there’s a kitchen and kitchen table behind him, a set of stairs and a sunroom further away. the cabinets seem familiar, and so does the backyard he can see beyond the set of glass doors, but the memories connected to this place are fuzzy.

has he been little here before?

“wonwoo?” he calls, expecting his boyfriend to appear around a corner and make everything better. he doesn’t like not having him here.

but when nothing happens, mingyu’s breath hitches. he can’t do this without wonwoo. blinking back tears, mingyu calls out for his boyfriend again, “wonwoo!” 

footsteps. someone steps into mingyu’s view, tall and lean just like wonwoo, but it’s not him. he still smiles when he sees mingyu, though, rushing over to the couch and immediately petting him, combing his fingers through his hair and kissing his forehead quickly.

“hey, baby, did you have a nice nap?” he says, still caressing his cheek. his eyes sparkle when he looks at mingyu, bangs clipped back by cute little pins.

mingyu’s lip trembles. “junhui?”

junhui falters, pulling back to get a better look at his face as if he can’t believe he just called him that. “mingyu? are you little?”

mingyu shakes his head. junhui’s mouth falls open. “oh my god,” he says.

“what?” the younger mumbles back. “where’s wonwoo? where am i?”

junhui seems too frantic and shocked to answer his questions properly. instead, he talks to mingyu as he settles onto the couch in his lap, petting his hair and holding his face the entire time.  “oh, baby, don’t worry. they’ll be back soon, i promise. i promise they’ll be back soon.”

and even though he’s acting a little strange, mingyu accepts junhui with open arms. he’s always liked him, always appreciated his abundance of outward affection towards mingyu, doting when big and downright clingy when little. 

mingyu tugs junhui closer to his chest and hugs his middle. junhui adjusts the blanket so that it keeps both of them warm. it’s not wonwoo, but he feels the hole in his chest shrink a little.

“jun, where are we?” mingyu asks quietly.

“the new house,” junhui answers. “remember? it’s the house wonwoo promised we would all live in.”

okay. that sounds nice. he remembers the house tour when the four of them realized that  _ yes, they can actually make this work. _

he remembers squeezing wonwoo’s hand as they looked at the front of the house, a silent message.  _ this is it. _

the furniture might be new, but he thinks he remembers these walls. maybe not the ceiling, but definitely the walls. junhui had joked about painting them, minghao protesting and trying to get wonwoo to back him up. something about minimalism. the aesthetic.

the day they found out they got the house, minghao called them in tears. it was remarkable, really.

mingyu slipped into headspace a few days after they started packing.

and it seems like he’s adjusted well. the toys certainly attest to that, and so does junhui’s more intense mothering over him. 

but no space, especially an unfamiliar one, feels complete without wonwoo. “where’s wonwoo, then? and minghao?”

junhui tucks mingyu’s head under his chin, rubbing his back, “they’re at work, sweetheart. it’s just you and me for now.” 

“what time is it?” mingyu asks softly.

“it’s around five. wonwoo will be home in an hour or two and minghao will definitely be back around six with some chinese food. doesn’t that sound good?”

mingyu hums, a little indifferent. he wishes the others were coming home sooner, but later is better than never, and he already feels a little hungry at the mere mention of takeout. minghao always picks yummy food for them. 

“c’mon,” junhui urges him. “wanna change clothes?”

“yeah,” mingyu chuckles. he wiggles a little, making junhui giggle too. “i want… pants.”

“then we’ll get you some pants.” junhui shrugs off the blanket and coaxes mingyu into sitting up all the way before standing.

junhui holds mingyu’s hand and leads him throughout the house. he shows him the kitchen, reminds him of how happy minghao had been at the idea of having an  _ actual _ kitchen table. mingyu is more than excited about the amount of space he'll have to cook, always trying to improve.  


he takes him upstairs, briefly shows him the bathrooms and minghao and wonwoo’s room. mingyu’s brow furrows in confusion when junhui reveals how they split the rooms.

“we played a game to settle it,” junhui explains. “you can sleep with whoever you want, gyu.”

mingyu nods in understanding. junhui tugs him into the hallway.

junhui’s always liked sharing his room with mingyu. he likes how mingyu is more lively and— if he’s honest— he prefers his taste in decorating over minghao’s.

their bedsheets are pink and their comforter is a soft blue. the top of their dresser has a bucket full of junhui’s hair clips and his regular accessories. the desk in the corner doesn’t serve much purpose other than being a place to put picture frames or serving as an occasional coloring station. 

mingyu’s “big” clothes are in the bottom dresser drawers. junhui urges the younger to sit while he gets something for him. 

rather than sitting, though, mingyu drifts over to the desk, curious as to which photos are sitting there. he picks each of them up.

a small one of junhui and minghao at the aquarium holding hands, minghao tugging junhui down to kiss him on the cheek, the taller grinning from ear to ear at the surprise. the date in the corner is years before mingyu met junhui. it’s a reminiscent snapshot of their early relationship.

another one of junhui, but this time, he’s with mingyu. mingyu has no memory of it, but they’re sitting on the floor of wonwoo’s apartment swaddled in blankets and watching a movie. mingyu recognizes wonwoo’s frame sitting behind them, the older’s legs wrapped protectively around mingyu’s waist. soonyoung or minghao must have taken it.

one mingyu remembers clearly: the day wonwoo graduated, the picture his father took of them outside the venue, wonwoo in his cap and gown kissing mingyu dressed up in his favorite suit. the day mingyu finally felt like he was a part of wonwoo’s family. he cried that day.

another picture of mingyu teary-eyed, one wonwoo took the day he decided he was dropping out, the two of them sitting in the school cafeteria with soonyoung, the then blond blissfully unaware of the camera pointed at him. 

(absently, mingyu wonders where junhui’s pictures are. or, rather, minghao’s pictures of junhui. perhaps they’re in the other bedroom or tucked away in a drawer.)

“alright! how about some sweats?” junhui calls, holding out a pair of pants for mingyu.

mingyu sets down the photo frame and takes them, easily slipping them on while junhui’s back is turned.

once he’s dressed more comfortably, junhui hugs him again for comfort, swaying back and forth for a moment before he lets go, “is that better?”

mingyu nods, feeling more content and put-together than before. it’s weird having total control over himself like this, but for now, it’s not so bad. 

he doesn’t know what to do, though. wonwoo still isn’t here, and he won’t be for some time. mingyu doesn’t want to burden junhui with his sulking too much. since they started dating officially, wonwoo was  _ always _ with mingyu when he came out of headspace. 

mingyu understands that wonwoo has to work, but he also misses him a lot. he doesn’t think he’ll feel truly comfortable being big until wonwoo comes home. 

he’ll find something else to do with junhui until then. junhui can help him explore his new surroundings.

“jun?” he asks softly. junhui hums. “can we go out for a bit?”

  
  
  
  
  


junhui and mingyu are walking back from the gas station store when wonwoo comes home. 

amber had greeted them enthusiastically. mingyu was surprised that he recognized her, but he still had to explain that he was big for the first time since moving. 

she had been very sweet nonetheless, slipping him a stick of gum across the counter after junhui had gone to look at the drink cooler.

they left the store with a lemonade and a coke, and on the way back, junhui pointed to all the familiar buildings in their neighborhood.

wonwoo gets out of his car as the two of them step onto the driveway. at the sight of his boyfriend, mingyu shoves his lemonade into junhui’s free hand and runs to him, overcome with relief and joy at being reunited with him. 

“wonwoo!” mingyu collides into him, taking the older by surprise as he hugs him in greeting. “i missed you so much!”

“hey, baby,” he returns softly, hesitantly hugging mingyu back. “what’s going on?”

mingyu pouts down at him, “i came out of headspace and you weren’t there. i was scared.” thinking about how empty and lonely he felt, mingyu’s vision blurs with tears. he hates being separated from wonwoo like that. he has always made him feel so protected. 

wonwoo jolts as he realizes what happened, “oh, mingyu! oh, honey, i’m so sorry. are you okay? did junnie help you?”

he nods. “i missed you… i didn’t recognize the house at first, it looks so different.”

“you like it?” wonwoo asks. he frames mingyu’s face with his hands, and the younger feels his heart flutter.

he swoops down and kisses wonwoo, feeling as if every dream he’s ever had about having a house has been fulfilled. it’s all he’s ever wanted, especially with wonwoo: as much space as he wants to be little, a yard to play and relax in... a  _ home.  _ a _ family. _

“i love it,” he replies. “i love it so much, won.”

“good,” wonwoo says. he brushes mingyu’s hair out of his face with a smile. “i love you, you know.”

embarrassed by the older’s words, mingyu ducks his head as his face heats up. his mean boyfriend just chuckles at how cute he is.

“mingyu? you’re not little?” minghao calls from the front door, shocked. “get in here, lovebirds, i brought dinner!”


	16. big conversations (2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> almost 30k words have lead up to this moment. activate shy babie wonwoo!!
> 
> not proofread

dinner is good, but strange.

still klutzy, it takes a few extra seconds for mingyu to remember how to eat, holding his spoon the wrong way at first before fixing his grip with a sheepish smile. 

wonwoo admits that he missed mingyu. he loves his little boy to pieces, but it isn’t the same as the man he fell in love with, and it’s nice to see him doing things on his own. it makes wonwoo proud.

minghao, junhui, and wonwoo recount their favorite memories of little mingyu to fill the gaps in his memory. it thoroughly embarrasses him, his face flushing every time minghao fondly describes the occasional tantrums he threw and the fun things he did with junhui.

after a few more hours of them sitting in the living room talking mostly about mingyu and watching tv, wonwoo realizes how late it’s getting and quietly dismisses himself for bed. as expected, mingyu follows him like a little puppy.

what does surprise wonwoo is how he says goodnight, taking his time to hug both minghao and junhui and kiss them each on the cheek.

they end up in wonwoo’s bed, wonwoo laying on mingyu’s chest because he doesn’t get to do that often when he’s little. he’s so much…  _ bigger _ than wonwoo, and he runs hotter, too. when they sleep together, mingyu has always been his pillow and heater. 

(not that mingyu doesn’t enjoy it. as long as he gets to hug wonwoo close to him, he won’t complain about their cuddling positions.)

wonwoo knows mingyu hasn’t fallen asleep yet because he’s still carefully carding his fingers through wonwoo’s hair. 

wonwoo wants to ask him about it— about the  _ thing _ still burning in the back of his mind ever since they moved in. 

ever since minghao hovered over him that one afternoon in the backyard, ever since junhui kissed him on the cheek for taking him out to dinner (like it was a date, like there was something more to it), wonwoo hasn’t been able to let go of this one  _ terrifying _ feeling:

_ i want to spend my life with them, too. _

not  _ instead. _ but  _ too. _

he tried to swallow it down— like a bitter pill, never sweet— and tell himself that minghao and junhui weren’t expecting that from him, that he shouldn’t assert himself into their relationship, but more evidence started to pile up.

junhui depends on wonwoo just as much as he does minghao; for affection, for guidance. he always says “i love you” at least once a day, just to remind him.

minghao kissed him on the cheek (more than once, more than _twice)_ and junhui always cooed at them when they were together like he knew how wonwoo felt.

and if anyone know how he feels, it’s probably soonyoung and jeonghan, the latter having heavily implied that he should make his move sooner than later.

for god’s sake—  _ minghao _ is the one that usually sleeps next to wonwoo. 

and mingyu has been here this whole time, receiving the same amount of affection from them both. 

all this time, junhui has mothered over little mingyu just as much as wonwoo has, and although minghao is very no-nonsense when it comes to him acting up, he will put mingyu’s needs before his without a second thought.

before he slipped, too, they had clung to him. long before they even considered  _ moving in together, _ the two had attached themselves to mingyu in a very protective way. almost like wonwoo had.

wonwoo convinces himself that this and this alone gives him the confidence to break their quiet evening. he whispers just loud enough to be heard over the cicadas and the noise of the city, “gyu?”

mingyu hums.

“i know its only been an afternoon, but have you ever thought about… minghao and junhui…” he sighs, his point coming across poorly, “do you love them?” 

“of course i do,” mingyu answers quickly. 

it occurs to wonwoo that mingyu still may not understand. “no, i mean— have you ever loved them like you love me?”

this finally causes him to hesitate. mingyu stops fiddling with wonwoo’s hair, his hand resting instead on his back. “i... would you be disappointed?”

“oh, gyu.” wonwoo sits up, the comforter falling from around his shoulders. any remaining shock melts into sympathy when he sees how unsure mingyu is. “i’m not. really, baby. i’m the same way, okay? i was so afraid to tell you.”

mingyu’s next breath out shudders. wonwoo lets him pull him back down so that they’re facing each other, wonwoo framing mingyu’s face with his hands. 

“i love you, baby,” he assures him softly. “i always have and i always will. as long as you want me, you’ll have me.”

“i know. i’ve thought about them for so long but i  _ never _ wanted to leave. i was so afraid of it.”

“it’s okay,” wonwoo answers. they lay like that a little longer making sure mingyu’s breathing calms, and then wonwoo kisses him three times. once on his forehead, then his nose, and finally his lips. 

“i want to ask minghao on a date. a real one,” he says. “while you were little, we got even closer, and i want to try.”

mingyu nods, much quicker in accepting the idea than wonwoo could ever hope. “d’you think it’ll work?”

_ a different night in bed, but the lamp is still on, minghao’s face illuminated by its soft glow as he reads his book. wonwoo, half-asleep, lays next to him, cheek squished against his pillow as he watches. _

_ minghao catches him and smiles when wonwoo quickly looks elsewhere. he reaches down and takes wonwoo’s hand in his, thumb rubbing over his knuckles. _

_ “you’re so sleepy, love. don’t wait for me, alright? goodnight. go to sleep.”  _

wonwoo blinks. mingyu’s looking at him instead of minghao, though it feels the same. filled with love.

“yeah, i think it will. is that okay with you?”

mingyu smiles just a little. “definitely. you should take him to dinner.”

he definitely will. wonwoo kisses mingyu again. “and  _ you _ should shoot your shot with junnie. maybe have a movie night? or you can cook something for him.”

“you’re getting ahead of yourself, won.”

“you’re right,” he sighs. he settles down again. “i’d be nothing without you.”

mingyu reddens, shy again. he hits wonwoo’s arm playfully. “wonwoo…” 

“yes, honey?” 

“shut up. let’s just go to sleep.”

  
  
  
  
  


the subsequent confrontation of wonwoo’s feelings comes the next afternoon with mingyu shoving wonwoo into the living room where minghao is sitting with a magazine he found in the mail that morning.

he looks up when wonwoo enters his line of sights, raising one eyebrow expectantly when he just stands in front of him awkwardly. 

wonwoo’s heart is beating  _ so loud. _ he’s surprised mingyu can’t hear it from where he’s standing with junhui in the kitchen. 

mingyu casually admitting that he had a crush on junhui was all it took for him to join in on everyone’s scheming to get wonwoo a date with minghao. 

minghao’s not exactly cold-hearted, but he isnt the best at expressing his emotions and he’s just… quiet. which means that when it comes to things like, well,  _ asking him out,  _ it’s really scary.

after all, it’s not like mingyu is going to. not yet, anyway.

instead, he and junhui are egging him on from afar, literally standing twenty feet away and cheering silently at him. 

wonwoo sits at the end of the couch opposite minghao. “can i ask you something?” he says quietly.

minghao looks a little nervous himself. he sets his magazine down in order to give wonwoo his full attention. “of course you can.”

wonwoo doesn’t really know anything about flirting or confessing to people. to this day, he still doesn’t know how he managed to stutter his way into telling mingyu how he thought he was cute— in the middle of the library, no less.

“ok, uhm…” he says intelligently. “would you— can i take you to dinner sometime?”

minghao doesn’t seem fazed by the question. “yeah, sure, i’m sure the boys would love that,” he replies easily.

“n-no i mean, like,” wonwoo bites his lip, still nervous, “can i take you— just you— to dinner? i can take you somewhere nice and it’ll just be the two of us. you don’t have t—“

“you mean a date?” 

wonwoo forces himself to look at minghao properly. thankfully, he doesn’t see repulsion or guilt. he looks happy and certainly a little smitten. 

“uh, yes. like a date.”

minghao’s small smile widens, and he tosses aside the magazine entirely to hold out his arms to wonwoo, “come here, baby.”

something in wonwoo’s chest blossoms. he scoots forward on the couch and falls into minghao’s arms, humming happily when minghao pets down his hair and him closer.

“is this a yes?” he wonders, just short of purring when minghao scratches behind his ear. maybe junhui’s onto something when it comes to minghao’s cuddling.

“yes, wonwoo,” minghao giggles. “i’ve been waiting for you to ask. you’re cute when you’re nervous.”

“i’m not,” wonwoo whines. 

minghao laughs again as if to sarcastically say  _ sure you’re not, wonwoo. sure you don’t bush whenever i say— _

“i’m proud of you. and i can’t wait for our date.”

wonwoo could explode. he’ll never admit it, but he’s a sucker for praise, and being shy like this on top of it doesn’t temper the heat of his blush. 

although wonwoo wouldn’t mind staying like this, curled into minghao’s chest, but apparently he has other ideas. minghao pats his butt after a few minutes (despite wonwoo’s offended whine) and tells him to get up. 

wonwoo doesn’t make it halfway through the kitchen before mingyu and junhui are on top of him, pulling him upstairs to their room and giggling. 

“don’t you have a crush on  _ me, _ wonu?” junhui singsongs, his face frightfully close to wonwoo’s. mingyu giggles again from next to them. 

“maybe,” wonwoo squeaks. 

“you’re so obvious,” junhui pouts. “i like you too, silly.”

wonwoo looks between junhui and mingyu, feeling as if they’re teaming up together to make him more embarrassed. that’s when it hits him:  _ this is really happening. _

“it’s okay,” mingyu whispers into his ear suddenly, holding onto his arm. “he means it, you know.”

and despite this, wonwoo feels unbelievably nervous. he really shouldn’t— he’s experienced enough with relationships already, and it’s just junhui. what is there to be afraid of here?

“wonwoo,” junhui whispers. it’s quiet in the way he gets when he’s little, but this is very different from that. “can i give you a kiss?”

a hesitant glance at mingyu and an encouraging nod leads to wonwoo agreeing. 

maybe wonwoo’s still riding the high of confessing, or maybe it’s just something about junhui, but junhui takes the lead. he kisses his cheek once to work up the confidence to peck his lips. afterwards, he squeals and hides his face. 

wonwoo’s heart flutters.

(and if they spend the next few hours before dinner conspiring against minghao, it’s not like he needs to know quite yet. for now, wonwoo has all he needs.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes!!!! wonhao begins!! they'll get their nice date and after we'll get official gyuhao :) and we'll do requests! it's all part of the process. 
> 
> good luck with finals if you have them and stay safe everyone! 💛


	17. dinner and a kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [drumroll] aaaand wonhao date :)

“so,” minghao breathes, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

wonwoo holds back a smile. “so,” he echoes.

they’re sitting in wonwoo’s car after a lot of bothering from junhui and mingyu about their _date,_ the two of them having ushered them out the door while barely containing their immature giggles.

without them even leaving the driveway, minghao can tell that wonwoo is committed to having their outing go well. he dressed nicely— he looks very handsome in his jean jacket— and has already defended minghao from the others’ harsh teasing. on top of that, he promised minghao they would go to a restaurant of his choosing, as long as it wasn’t seafood.

it’s all very on-brand for Wonwoo. he’s a sweetheart who doesn’t want to ignore anyone’s preferences. minghao appreciates it.

“did you decide where we should go?” wonwoo asks, clearly nervous. minghao wonders, briefly, if being unable to picture where they’d eat made it harder to assure himself that their date would go well.

they’re both over-thinkers. 

“remember that pasta place we went to for your birthday last year? i want to go there. it was cozy.” 

wonwoo smiles to himself and nods. “yeah! yeah, of course we can go there.” 

minghao picks some of his favorite music for the short drive to the restaurant, thoroughly embarrassing wonwoo by asking flirty questions about his taste in music, dropping small comments about his voice, which sounds nice when he sing along with minghao. it’s weak and shy but pleasantly rich.

they’re waiting for their food when they begin to talk— and not just about wonwoo’s birthday dinner last year or what food they should eat or the warm lighting of outdoor seating. wonwoo plays with the straw bobbing in his glass of water, studying the red chrysanthemum sitting between them on the table even as minghao watches his face. 

and they talk about how they got here.

“i don’t really know how it happened,” wonwoo murmurs. and then, with more confidence, “i just— before the move, i never thought about _this._ i was more than happy with mingyu alone, but for the past month, you just… pulled me in?”

and minghao admits to his unyielding affection for wonwoo that existed even when he didn’t consider him as big of a part of his life as he is now. he hadn’t intended to push his feelings onto wonwoo— and he knows he didn’t force it— but he didn’t want to restrain himself from showing wonwoo how much he cared for him. 

in hindsight, it worked a little _too_ well.

“i couldn’t tell you when it started either, but you’ve always been precious to me. i can’t replicate the connection i have with you with junhui.” minghao smiles at the thought of their first meeting and how soonyoung had locked them in a room to force them to become friends. 

the only thing they had to bond over at the time was their mutual experience of and passion for taking care of their littles, a frankly embarrassing thing to talk about with someone you’ve never met before, no matter how enlightening it is.

“when you started helping us with getting the house, i realized i wanted you and mingyu to stay with us for a long time. i love being with you, and i don’t think i’ve been able to express how thankful i am.”

something in wonwoo’s expression opens. he looks at minghao. “me too, i was growing so worried about mingyu. soonyoung did his best, but he really wasn’t a replacement and mingyu needed the company. hao, i—”

wonwoo cuts himself off, his eyes flicking back down to his water. his movements stall in hesitation. “is this really okay?”

minghao sets out his hands. “give me your hands, won,” he says, and he complies, their palms connecting as minghao holds wonwoo’s hands. “look at me.”

wonwoo looks into his eyes. minghao can see that he is unsure. minghao can tell that he’s worrying about mingyu and jun, about themselves, about how other people think about this.

“this is okay. you love mingyu, yes?” wonwoo nods. “and you love junhui?” nod. “and me?” nod. “i love jun. i love mingyu. i love _you._ mingyu loves all of us, right?” wonwoo nods again. “and i can _assure you_ that junnie loves each of us. it doesn’t matter how it looks or if we give it a name. we love each other and what we have is good! we have all the time in the world to figure it out.”

“you’re so good at this, you know?” wonwoo says, squeezing minghao’s hands. he’s smiling, now.

“i’ve been told,” he chuckles in return. “but i guess that it’s easier with people i love.”

wonwoo’s cheeks visibly redden against the glow of the outdoor lighting. “i feel like i’m in college again,” he gushes. “i used to take mingyu on dates and i was so nervous every time i complimented him.”

“and here you are. it worked, didn't it?”

“ah, well, he’s just as bad as i am, you know. he’s so happy when people tell him he’s good.”

minghao can’t help but laugh at the images of mingyu beaming and giggling every time someone compliments him. it’s not without any effort on his part— mingyu is always eager to show people things he’s proud of. 

“still, he throws the nastiest tantrums,” minghao observes. “i’m just glad he hasn’t been difficult recently.”

wonwoo shrugs. “i don’t know how i ever did it without you. i’m such a pushover.”

he’s not _wrong._ as a caregiver, wonwoo is sweet, patient, and doting, but he’s far too afraid to tell the kids that they can’t have everything they want, especially if it means avoiding a tantrum. 

minghao, however, prides himself on keeping his little (and now wonwoo’s, too) on a healthy routine, and he’s not too keen on deviating from it. he doesn’t want to listen to mingyu or junhui cry any longer than he has to, either. consequently, he’s adept at getting his way without being oppressive and mean.

chan compares him to an uptight suburban soccer mom at times, but minghao knows he’s a little cooler than that.

“yeah, you are. but you know how to have fun. things were always quiet with just me and jun.”

the arrival of their food interrupts them. after a few minutes of eating in comfortable silence, they keep talking about each other and mingyu and junhui; about minghao’s classes at the studio, how mingyu is adjusting out of headspace, junhui’s stories from work, wonwoo’s progress with soonyoung over the last few days. 

“it really feels like we’re parents talking about these kinds of things, doesn’t it?” wonwoo muses. 

“we might as well be,” minghao agrees. 

beyond being his boyfriend, minghao is junhui’s friend and caregiver. he loves junhui as a partner, but also as someone he nurtures and looks after. like a parent. minghao doesn’t doubt that wonwoo feels similarly about mingyu.

it’s easy to joke about the unconventionality of their relationships, but deep down, they are all family in every sense of the word. 

and minghao wouldn’t have it any other way.

they’re going to be just fine.

  
  
  
  
  


upon arrival at the house, wonwoo gets out and opens minghao’s car door before he can even reach for the handle. he steps out of the car, allowing wonwoo to close the door behind him.

“thank you, for tonight,” he says, looking at wonwoo straight on. “i enjoyed spending time with you— just the two of us.”

“thank you for having me, i suppose,“ he replies sheepishly. “it was more than i could’ve asked for.“

minghao feels another pang of fondness in his chest. these shifts in their relationship might be a breeze for junhui and a bit of excitement at most for mingyu (who will be knocked back into his headspace within two weeks), but minghao can tell it will take some adjusting for wonwoo, know matter how much he wants it.

“you deserve a little more than that, won,” minghao chides him. before wonwoo can protest, he leans up and kisses his cheek, satisfied when he flushes pink. “you’re so easy to embarrass, seriously—“

“hao, can i kiss you?” wonwoo blurts. for a moment, he looks positively mortified that he said that out loud. 

but it’s not like minghao is going to say _no._

when wonwoo kisses minghao for the first time _(really_ kisses him) it’s quick, shy, and nothing more than a sweet peck— like a high schooler having their first kiss in a parking lot.

but minghao pulls him back in for something gentler, longer. it feels like puzzle pieces clicking into place; it feels _right,_ like something he should have figured out sooner.

“i’m sure there’s some wine left in the kitchen,” minghao murmurs, holding wonwoo’s cheek.

“are you suggesting we ignore them?” he mutters back, speaking of mingyu and junhui. for all minghao knows, the two of them could be watching them from the front windows.

“over a glass? absolutely, darling.”

wonwoo presses another kiss to his lips. “sounds like a plan to me.”

  
  
  
  
  


“why can’t they just _kiss!?”_ mingyu cries, wiping a few stray tears from his watering eyes. “i can’t believe you’ve already hooked me onto another drama, huihui.”

junhui— already having seen this series— laughs at mingyu’s frustration with the main couple. 

“it looks like your having fun, though?” he teases. he’s half laying in his younger partner’s lap, head resting on his shoulder while they watch tv.

“this isn’t any fun,” mingyu pouts, whining at the credits of the episode they’ve just finished. “it’s so obvious that he’s the _oppa_ from her childhood! they would get together so much faster if they knew!”

junhui laughs again, curling against mingyu’s side. “baby, that’s not how k-dramas work,” he giggles. 

after mingyu grumbles about not wanting to watch another episode, they turn off the tv. it isn’t long after they do when the front door opens. 

the two scramble to watch minghao and wonwoo slip inside, toeing off their shoes by the door and looking absolutely smitten with each other. 

“so~” mingyu calls first. 

“how was your _date?”_ junhui finishes. 

watching their boyfriends get together had been extremely entertaining for mingyu and junhui. there was something amusing about seeing them out of their comfort zones, toeing around one another before one of them made a move. 

though wonwoo covers his face with the back of his hand, minghao grins openly and says, “just fine. where’s my bottle of wine, petal?”

junhui lights up, “we’re having drinks?”

“oh, no, junnie,” minghao answers. _“we—“_ he points at himself and wonwoo— “are having drinks.”

(“they’re so mean to us,” junhui will whine later once he’s tucked into bed, wonwoo and minghao still in their room drinking and talking. 

smiling and kissing his forehead, mingyu pulls him closer against his chest. “sure, huihui.”)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember to stay safe everyone ! drink water, eat your meals, and get lots of sleep <3


	18. interlude: tiger stripes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a tiny little soonyoung blip to check up on him!

> **soon:** nonu :(
> 
> **soon:** nonu are you home from work yet ?
> 
> **soon:** i miss you :(( m so tired from class
> 
> **woo:** hey, soon! did you eat dinner?
> 
> **soon:** hi!!! yes i did :D chan took me to dinner
> 
> **woo:** you’re tired ? how do you want me to help
> 
> **soon:** can nonu talk now?

**_calling soon..._ **

_“hi! wha’s you doing?”_

wonwoo snickers at soonyoung’s cute slurring. it isn’t even that late, but soonyoung’s already tired enough for bed.

“hello, little one,” he croons. soonyoung giggles, pleased. “i’m just sitting upstairs. are you in bed already?”

_“mhm!”_ soonyoung confirms. _“‘nd i got my tiger an’ kitty.”_

“are they soft?”

_“mhm.”_

“that’s nice, baby. they can keep you company when i’m not there.”

_”chan and minghao keep me company durin’ the day! and some— sometimes when i go home, you keep me company over the phone.”_

”that’s true. one day i’ll come by and visit you! and we can spend time together again.”

soonyoung yawns. and then, after a few seconds, he whines, _“nonu, can you read to me? the alarm says it’s bedtime…”_

wonwoo had made a set of alarms with soonyoung on his phone to make sure he was getting to bed on time. if he was feeling tired and close to slipping into his headspace, he could call wonwoo or minghao or ask them to send a video of them reading. it puts him out like a light.

because he doesn’t get to see his friend as often as he would like, checking in on soonyoung is nice for wonwoo, even if it’s just to read a bedtime story over the phone. 

“i can, let me go get a book, okay?”

_“okay,”_ soonyoung replies softly.

wonwoo has to move to the playroom to find a picture book. he picks one he knows soonyoung hasn’t seen before and settles down by the shelf to read it.

he’s halfway through the book when soonyoung’s sleepy giggles subside into soft snores. it leaves wonwoo trailing off to see if he’ll wake up, but when he doesn’t, he closes the book.

“goodnight, soonyoungie... i love you.”

**Author's Note:**

> this book doesn't have a direction and i'm definitely going to be running dry of ideas, so the floor is open for requests! it's junhao/meanie etc centered but anything goes. you get to dictate how other members come in if you want to see them :D 
> 
> as always, tysm for reading !


End file.
